Akiko
by Lady Literature
Summary: What would happen if Akito was a girl? Read and find out! R&R, contructive critism appreciated. Note: I KNOW THE SPOILER! DON'T REVIEW IF YOU DON'T READ!
1. Chapter One

**WARNING! **Love is tender…and knows no gender…so if you are disturbed by slash, then leave now before you read and decide to flame me. REMEMBER…I warned you! Also, this started as comedy…then dipped into angst, drama and romance. And there is a lot of nudity, thanks to the curse and other stuff. Not too much description though. It's not a lemon, it's just a little…tangy. So sorry. Just enjoy the humiliation. And the OOC. Heh.

Also, I realize that due to reacent revelations in the 15th volume, this fanfiction is really no longer possible, so it's an AU fic. Please read and enjoy it anyway. sigh

AKIKO

CHAPTER 1

Akito was sitting by the koi pond when Hatori came out of the house bearing Akito's recently adjusted daily medicine. He glanced up lazily, adjusting his yukata. Hatori held out a small cup full of pills.

"Tell me if they have any odd side effects. And take it easy, remember how you almost married Honda-san's friend Hanajima last time you overdosed?"

Akito winced. "Don't remind me. I'm still amazed that Yuki or Honda-san hasn't found out."

"Well, she has her pride too, you know. Come on, take the medicine."

Akito took the pills that Hatori offered him. Swallowing them, he stood, and overbalanced. He fell into the koi pond, grabbing at Hatori and pulling him along with him. Then-

PYON!

Hatori had transformed into the sea horse. Nervously avoiding the koi, Hatori swam to Akito, who coughing and shaking the water off of his face. Akito sighed in exasperation when he realized what had happened.

"Hatori, what happened? Come on, I'll take you inside."

Akito picked up Hatori and gathered up his clothes. He walked inside and into the bathroom. Putting Hatori's wet clothes on the floor, he filled the tub and tossed Hatori in.

"Ugh," he said, pulling at his wet clothes. "I'll have to borrow some of yours Hatori."

PYON!

Hatori had transformed back. "Could you get me some dry clothes first?" He said, sitting in the tub.

Akito left the bathroom. "Why did I transform?" Hatori wondered aloud. He shrugged. Weirder things had happened.

Akito returned, dumping a pile of dry clothes and a towel in front of Hatori. He faced away and pulled off his sopping kimono. As it happens, he turned in the direction of a mirror. He stared for a moment at his reflection. "HATORI!!!" He screeched in a higher-than usual voice. He appeared, in the mirror, to be very, very female. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, thinking he was hallucinating. The he felt-

"HATORI!!" He (she) screeched again. He (she) whirled and bumped into him, because he had stepped out of the tub and had just finished putting his clothes on.

PYON!

Hatori was a seahorse again. Akito screamed and clutched the seahorse to his (her) bare chest. The he (she) realized what he (she) was doing.

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGHHH!!!!!!!!" He (she) screamed, and hurled Hatori against the wall. He fell into the tub. He (she) snatched up Hatori's dry shirt, and clutched it to her torso. "You-you-you!" He (she) sputtered.

Hatori the seahorse lay dazed in the tub. He had no clue why Akito was ranting at him; he had been too dazed to notice that he had been clutched to a _female_ chest. In fact, all he could see from this angle was Aktio's legs. And they were more, well, rounded than usual. In fact, they looked almost _feminine_. Wait-

PYON!

Hatori sat up in the tub, and scrutinized Akito's body.

"Stop staring like that! Pervert." Akito whacked him upside the head.

Hatori slumped back against the wall, as Akito pulled Hatori's shirt over his (her) head. Akito was _female_? Oh, no…

15 minutes later, in Hatori's office…

"Well, you've lost weight. I didn't think that was possible. You weight 85 pounds. Um, you're also a few inches shorter-"

"WHAT!?"

"-And most definitely female."

"I knew _that_."

"So, for now, I think you should stay here so I can monitor the effects of what happening"

"ah-"

"You also need new clothes."

"But-"

"I'm calling Ayame."

"But-"

"Well, do you have a better idea?"

"Hatori, you're taking the fact that I am now a GIRL remarkably well. Have you given any though to how I'm going to change back?"

"No."

"WHY NOT?"

"Because I don't know why you're a girl in the first place. Now shut up, it's ringing."

"Hatori, you insensitive beast! You don't know what I'm going through!…"

Hatori tuned Akiko out, as Ayame answered the phone. She continued to rant and rave in the background.

Ayame answered the phone. "Heeellooo!"

"Ayame?"

"Hatori! How are you?"

"I'm fine, but we have a bit of an emergency involving clothes over here. Could you-?"

"I'll be there in a second!"

Dial tone

Haotri shrugged and guided a still ranting Akito out of his office. He had some more phone calls to make. He left Akito to await the arrival of Ayame.

Akito was wearing one of Hatori's oversized shirts when Ayame arrived.

"You didn't tell me what to bring, so I brought everything I could think of."

Hatori's eyes widened. "You brought everything?"

"Well…" Ayame trailed off, looking sheepish as his assistant dragged eight large trunks, apparently filled with clothing, into the room.

AUTHORS NOTE:

well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This fanfiction is my baby, and after a three-year labour period it's finally been born --. please review. Constructive critism always welcome. ;) have a nice day!!


	2. Chapter Two

Wilkommen!...er, I mean, WELCOME! to chapter two. nods please enjoy. Oh, and iI forgot to say, in the first chapter...I don't own fruits basket. My friends would be worshipping me and I would have a lot more money if I did...so I don't. right. .

Also, SPOILER WARNING: SKIP THIS IF YOU DON"T WANT A SPOILER.

I know Akito is a women. I'd written this fic long before the info came out, and I don't want it to go to waste. I tried to subtly state that i knew last chapter, but apparently, no one gets that. --. like i said, it's an AU fic. AU meaning ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. in which Akito is a man. Thank you.

SPOILER WARNING ENDED

Please enjoy.

CHAPTER 2

Hatori sighed while Akito just looked dumbstruck.

"Who is this?" Ayame asked, eyeing Akito

"This is Akito -er, AkiKo, Akito's, uh, twin sister."

"Oh." he bowed slightly to her. "She's the one who needs clothes, right?" He sais to Hatori.

"Yes. Uh, her suitcases got lost on the way here, and, she, well, fell in the koi pond. Her clothes are completely ruined."

Ayame blinked. "She doesn't have anything?"

"Nothing." Akiko piped up, glaring at Hatori for some unfathomable reason.

"No underwear or anything?"

"Nothing! This is Hatori-san's shirt."

"Uh..Well, I didn't bring any underwear…I have a bikini in here" he opened one of the trunks. "I guess that'll have to do for underclothing for now. I'll call Kagura and have her take you shopping."

"Why can't you?"

Ayame blinked. "Uh..I can't. You know..girl stuff…"

Akiko suddenly realized what he was referring to and blushed furiously. "Oh, yeah."

Ayame tossed a very skimpy bikini in neon pink and yellow at her.

"Uh…do you have any less…bright…colours?"

"Allow me to check...I have just pink…a bright blue…"

While Ayame was rumaging through the clothes, Akiko leaned over and hissed at Hatori "'Akiko'? That was the best you could come up with!?"

"Well, now you have a cover story!" Hatori hissed back. "Just make sure you answer to 'Akiko' from now on!"

"oh, here's a red-"Ayame suddenly called.

"I'll take the red." Akiko snatched it and stalked out of the room. Ayame's gaze followed her. He tucked the other suits back in the truck.

"She's so like Akito it's scary." He commented. "Pretty, too." Hatori choked.

"Yes, yes she is. Maybe you should start checking for some clothes for her."

"Well, I need to know her preferences."

"Oh."

Akiko stalked back into the room, wearing Hatori's shirt over the bikini, which she had managed to figure out.

"Good." Began Ayame cheerfully. "Now, you need to tell me what kind of clothes you like to wear-"

"I have traditional sandals, and my mother's kimono. That's it."

"Well! I have some nice outfits here. First, what is your preference in colour ?"

"Black. Or crimson. Nothing else."

"Well, you'll need footwear too…lets see… I've got it!" from a trunk, he pulled a pair of black leather, spike-heeled boots, similar to Rin's. Akiko's eyes widened in horror, but Ayame didn't seem to notice. He pulled out a crimson turtleneck, a black leather vest, and skintight black leather pants. He held these items out to her, and she looked at him in disbelief.

"You expect me to wear those 'pants'?"

"You did before-" Hatori started to remind her.

"THAT WAS BEFORE! IF I HAVE TO BE A GIRL, I CAN AT LEAST DO IT PROPERLY! THOSE THINGS ARE INDECENT!" She yelled, red-faced.

Ayame turned around, hiding his confusion, and stuck them back in the trunk. "Ok, so you want a skirt or dress."

Akiko just nodded silently. She was getting a bit tired.

Ayame tossed her a pair of lacy black stockings. "Go put these on." he said, without looking up from the trunk.

Akiko did so without question. Amazingly enough, she got them on without ripping the delicate lace at all. She walked back into the front room. Ayame had Hatori holding up a black strapless-sleeveless dress.

"No."She said, calmly and quietly.

"Pardon?" replied Ayame, glancing at her.

"That thing," she said, gesturing at the dress, "has no top. I want something at least partially decent."

Hatori just looked embarrassed to be holding a dress against himself. He dropped it.

"You heard her. She wants something decent."

Ayame groaned. "I have very limited options if you restrict my colours like this. How short a skirt will you wear?"

"As long as it's not shorter than anything Honda Tohru would wear, I'll take it."

"Well, I have a black skirt here, and it's knee length, so that should be ok, right?"

"Yeah."

Ayame tossed the simple straight skirt to her, and began rummaging through another trunk. "Ok…decent tops…black or crimson…"

Akiko went into the other room and pulled the skirt on. She was still in her stocking feet and was beginning to get a little cold. Stalking back into the other room, pushed her hair off of her forehead with one hand. Then she realized that her hair hadn't changed at all. She shrugged. She knew some girls had even shorter hair.

Back in the other room, Ayame had dumped out every single female shirt he had on the table.

"Where'd the table come from?" Hatori asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, it's a folding table. I brought it with me. Now, let's see…decent shirts…decent shirts…"

Ayame spread out all the black and crimson shirts he had with him on the table. Most were strappy and rather revealing, Akiko would just call them 'indecent'.

"Have you found a shirt?" Akiko asked, walking back into the room.

"Well, these are all the black and crimson tops I have. You choose." Ayame replied.

Akiko walked to the table and picked up the snug crimson turtleneck that Ayame had tried to give her before, only to discover that it was a midriff top. She dropped it as though it had burned her. Digging through all of the strappy, back-less and midriff tops, she came up with two tight but otherwise ok shirts and a blouse. The first was a long sleeved black cotton shirt with a scoop neckline. The second shirt was crimson with a v-neckline and ¾ sleeves. Across the front, in dripping black blood-like letters, it said something in English.

"Um, Akiko, I don't think you want to wear that," said Hatori, who could read English.

"Why?" asked Akiko, who was holding the shirt up as though considering trying it on.

"You don't know what it says."

"What does it say?" she asked, examining the word.

"It-It's an English swearword."

Akiko literally chucked the shirt back onto the table and picked up the blouse. It was crimson too. She examined it thoroughly for any writing, English, Japanese, or otherwise. There was none.

"I'll wear this," she said, taking the crimson blouse into the other room.

Akiko came back into the room, wearing the blouse. Ayame had three pairs of female shoes with him, all black: strappy, lace-up sandals,the knee-length black spike-heeled boots, and ankle boots with a very slight heel.

"I'll take the ankle boots," she said, leaning dangerously on Hatori so she could pull them on. Luckily, Hatori didn't transform.

"You know, I think you'd look better in pastel colours," Ayame commented. She turned to him and gave him the famous Akito-death-glare. The she stalked off into the other room.

"I thought only Akito had a glare like that."

"Well, they are twins."

"Yes, they are."

"Yeah."

"I'd better call Kagura now."

"Yeah,"

"Bye-Bye!"

"Bye."

Ayame left the room and Hatori waited for Akiko to come back into the room. Ayame had left a matching crimson headband with a little bow on it for her. Akiko came back into the room.

"Here." He said, handing her the headband.

"What is this?" asked Akiko, stretching it between her fingers.

Hatori tried not to roll his eyes. "It's a headband. Here-" He guided Akiko into the bathroom had turned her face toward the mirror. He fixed the headband in her hair. Akiko leaned forward to examine herself in the mirror.

"Hatori, my nose has shrunk.."

Hatori blinked. He didn't know what to say. It was true that Akito's nose had shrunk from the longer nose of the Souma males to a cute button nose.

"Uhh...It's a very cute nose."

"Hatori!"

"What?"

Akiko sniffed huffily and flounced away. Hatori followed her out of habit. She went into her room and slammed the door in his face. Hatori blinked, and then shrugged and walked away. She'd come around. Akito always had.

AUTHOR NOTE:

I'm going to stop doing these at the beginning and endings of chapters. You know what I want you all to do.

Also, I wrote this as one huge story, originally not intended to be cut into chapters. That's why it ends so abruptly. But it just got waaaaaay too long to post as one story, so I'm posting in chapters...as I edit. so, for all future chapters, please R&R, contructive critism always welcome, as I said. Thanks!


	3. Chapter Three

Ok. SoI lied about not putting in any more Author's notes. Thanks to all of you who reviewed! Enjoy the insanity.

CHAPTER 3

In her room, Akiko flopped onto his-_her_ bed. She just couldn't get used to the fact that she was a girl now. Why? She mentally reviewed everything she'd done today.

She- wait, she had been a he then (God, this was confusing), _he_ had gotten up late, ate breakfast, and gone into the library. He had done some Kanji for a few hours, maybe two, and then he had gone over the family records to make sure everything was in order. That had taken an hour. He drank some tea, and then went outside to sit by the koi pond. Hatori had come outside to give him the medicine, and then he had transformed. Both of them had fallen into the koi pond. He-She-well, whatever, had taken Hatori to the bath, then pulled off the wet kimono and found- she winced.

She was pretty sure that she had been a boy before lunch, and a girl after she fell into the koi pond-wait, that could have caused Hatori's transformation! The only thing in between was the medicine, so that must have caused it.

She sat up, about to call Hatori when he knocked on her door.

"Akiko!" He called. "Kagura's here!"

Akiko gritted her teeth and swore mentally. She got up, straightened her skirt and hair, and left the room.

"Kagura, this is Akiko, Akito's twin sister." Hatori said. "She needs to go shopping for, er, underclothes."

"Yes, Ayame told me," Kagura replied, smiling cutely.

Akiko smiled back, although she would rather have clawed the smile off of Kagura's face. "May I speak with you privately?" She asked Hatori.

He looked confused, but nodded. She grabbed him by the tie, yanked him into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Hatori, it was the medicine."

"I figured as much"

"I have an overwhelming urge to hit you right now, but I have a much more satisfying idea."

"huh?"

Akiko jumped forward and hugged him, hard.

PYON!

Hatori the seahorse fell to the floor.

"Serves you right," said Akiko, picking him up. She filled the tub and dropped him in, and then picked up his clothes and left the bathroom.

Walking outside to the porch, she neatly arranged all of Hatori's clothes on the railing, in plain sight of the bathroom window (and the rest of the neighborhood).

PYON!

Hatori, in the bathroom, had transformed back. He stuck his head out the window. "Akiko, where are my-" he broke off, seeing his clothes. Kagura and Akiko were walking away. Akiko turned around and gave him a sweet and totally fake smile. Hatori groaned.

Kagura and Akiko walked through the mall, looking for a lingerie store. Kagura kept up a cheerful stream of chatter, which Akiko more or less ignored. They entered the store, and Kagura paused.

"What size are you?" She asked.

"What?" replied Akiko

"You know, cup size."

Akiko froze. "Uh, I don't know"

"You don't know!?"

"Well, it's the first time I've come shopping like this." She said. "Without one of my aunts!" she added hastily.

"Oh. Well, lets find out!" Kagura replied cheerfully. She grabbed a selection of differently sized but otherwise identical plain black bras. Shoving Akiko into a changing room, she thrust the bras in after her. "Tell me which one fits best!

A few minutes later, Akiko came out of the change room, and handed a bra to Kagura. She checked the size. "20B? you're tiny! Smaller than I am!"

Akiko glared at her. Kagura, oblivious, continued. "I mean, I'm B too, but I'm a 26!"

"That's nice. Can we get moving?" Akiko interrupted through clenched teeth.

"Sure! What are you looking for? Something fancy?"

"No. Just everyday wear."

"Aww, come on! lets get some of the fancy stuff too!"

"I don't... think my brother would approve."

"Oh, Akito? What does he know about female stuff?"

"He's learning fast."

Kagura looked at her oddly for a moment and Akiko returned the gaze evenly. Then Kagura shrugged and hauled Akiko toward the nearest rack. "What colour?" She asked, not really paying attention.

"Black. No lace."

"Ok."

Kagura whirled around the store, picking up sets of every colour and style, nightgowns, pajamas, socks, everything imaginable. Akiko lost track of it all, slightly dizzy. She honestly didn't know the extent of what Kagura had bought. Kagura practically dragged Akiko to the next store. The staff measured Akiko's pants size and height. She just stood there, dazed, as Kagura bought pants, skirts, overalls, shorts, stockings, blouses, shirts, sweaters, and anything else she thought would look remotely good on Akiko.

Next stop was a shoe store. Kagura shoved Akiko down in the chair and took the measurements. Then, leaving Akiko in the chair, she ran around the shop gathering shoes, all black, for her inspection.

Anything with a heel was out of the question. Akiko wound up with several pairs of strappy black sandals, ankle boots, running shoes, dress shoes, winter boots, and a cute pair of sandals with a little panda on each one. Those really caught her eye; they were the only ones she distinctly remembered. They stopped to rest, at Akiko's request, on a bench in the mall. Reaching into one of the shoe store bags, Akiko pulled out a pair of dress shoes that looked really fancy and had a slight heel.

"What'll I do with these?" she asked, holding them up.

"Why, wear them with a dress, of course!" Kagura replied

"But I don't have a-"

"To Ayame's!"

Kagura raced to a pay phone and called Ayame's shop. "We're coming over, ok? Akiko needs dresses, coats, and anything else you could possibly think of."

She hung up the phone and then called a taxi. Within minutes, they were pulling up in front of the shop. Kagura, struggling under the weight of all the bags, shoved the door open. Akiko followed reluctantly.

Fifteen minutes later, Akiko was the owner of several long, sleek black dresses, all but one of which met her approval as decent. The one that didn't was strapless, slightly above knee length, and backless with a plunging neckline.

"I am not wearing that." Said Akiko firmly, pointing at the dress.

"Take it anyway," said Ayame. " It may come in handy." He winked.

Akiko looked at him oddly for a second and then a slight smile touched her lips. She decided to take the dress. Everything was packaged up and Hatori was on his way to come and get her.

Hatori arrived in his car and chatted with Ayame for a few minutes while Kagura loaded everything into the trunk. Then Akiko and Hatori got in and drove off. Kagura would call a taxi home, she said.

"So, how did shopping go, Akiko?" asked Hatori.

"Well, the family fortune has significantly decreased." Akiko replied, not really joking.

Hatori blanched. "You bought that much clothing?"

"Kagura did. I was just dragged everywhere with her."

Hatori just shook his head. "Oh, by the way, I bought a little gift for you."

"Really?" Akiko brightened slightly. "Where is it?" She asked.

"In the back seat. Why don't you open it now?"

Akiko reached into the back seat and pulled out a shopping bag. Inside the bag was a backpack shaped like a panda, black and white. It was small, more like a purse and really cute.

"You're a girl now, so I figured-" Hatori began, but was cut off by Akiko.

"It's so cute, Hatori." She said in a sweet voice. Too sweet. "In fact, It's so cute I have to hug you!". She screeched the last two words, her voice going up about three octaves. Hatori immediately slammed his body against the driver's door, trying to stay as far away from Akiko as possible. He also tried to keep the car on the road.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Poor Ha-san. I'm so cruel to him sometimes. Especially later on.

Hatori (Lady Lit's Laptop): You're mean to me too!

LL: Sorry, dear. I'll try to be nicer and not abuse you.

Anyway, thanks again for reviewing and have a nice day!


	4. Chapter Four

Well, sorry this chapter took a little longer...Not much, really. Um,I don't have much to say...so Just ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Also, I'm possibly going to write a more serious Furuba fic...well, this one gets a little more serious near the end of the story(chapter 18 or something...). I may also doa ParaKiss and Furuba crossover

I'm so happy!!!!...>.> heh. Just enjoy.

CHAPTER 4

After about fifteen minutes of wild swerving, Akiko finally calmed down. They pulled up in front of the main house. Hatori didn't exactly love the idea of Akiko and him being alone there for the next few hours. An idea popped into his head. He unloaded the bags from the trunk, and took them to Akito-no, wait, Akiko's room. Then he decided to suggest his idea to Akiko.

"Why don't we go to Shigure's, Akiko?" He said, blandly as usual.

Akiko's eyes lit up. "Yes, lets!"

"Well, then?" he said, motioning towards the door. She looked at him as though he was crazy.

"Like this? I have to change!" yelled Akiko. She bolted for her bedroom.

Hatori shook his head. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn Akiko had always been a girl. He leaned against the wall and waited.

An hour later Akiko finally came into the other room. Hatori was still leaning against the wall.

"Well? How do I look?" She said, turning around slowly.

Akiko was wearing a cute pair of black overalls, with a small black and white panda on the chest. She was wearing a white tee-shirt with short black sleeves. She had black and white panda sandals on, and there was a white headband in her dark hair. Instead of a bow, it had a little stuffed panda on it. She also had the backpack that Hatori had given her.

"You…look good," said Hatori, stepping forward and smoothing her hair. "Now let's go to Shigure's."

Both Hatori and Akiko were silent during the drive to Shigure's. Akiko had brought a change of clothes in the panda bag, just in case.

When they arrived, Hatori walked right in, but Akiko hesitated at the door. She walked in and stood just inside the entry.

Kyo stomped in angrily, evidently having just been beaten by Yuki _again_, and froze at the sight of Akito's face. Then his gaze dropped to her chest and he stared in shock. 'Since when does Akito have...breasts?' he thought, dazed.

"Cute panda, isn't it?" She said in a dry voice. The sound jolted Kyo to his senses.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking up. Just then Shigure, Yuki, and Hatori came into the room. Tohru brought in a tray of tea.

"This is Akiko, Akito's twin sister. She, uh, came to visit." Hatori said. Yuki looked terrified. Everyone sat down at the table. Shigure sat next to Akiko.

"So, Akiko, where did you come from?" He asked, putting an arm around here shoulders.

"A convent in the east." She improvised flatly, glaring toward Hatori. Shigure was a little too… familiar. Hatori got the message.

"Akiko, Shigure, may I please talk to you privately? In your study, please, Shigure?"

The three of them left the room and walking into Shigure's study.

"Tell him, Hatori." Akiko said sharply, sounding more like Akito than she had before. Shigure was amazed after Hatori explained. _He had just groped Akito!_ He tried to make the best of it.

"Oh, um, sorry. By the way, what material is your bra made of? It feels really nice."

Hatori just stared, frozen in shock and disbelief. Amazingly, Akiko didn't react with rage. She pulled out the front of her tee-shirt and looked inside at her bra

"I'm not sure, Kagura chose this one…"

"Here," said Shigure, moving toward her "Let me see-" He cut off and doubled over in pain. Hatori had just socked him in the stomach.

Akiko let her shirt snap back into place. " I was _waiting_ for you to do that." She said to Hatori. She left him to deal with Shigure, and closed the study door behind her. Screams of agony drifted after her. She turned and walked back toward the other room-only to bump into Tohru. Who happened to be carrying a hot tray of tea.

"Ow!" Akiko shrieked as the tea poured down the front of her overalls. Tohru dropped the tray and fell to her knees, babbling apologies.

Akiko started to glare, but caught herself. She managed a pained smile and asked it Tohru would get her backpack so she could change. Tohru ran off and in a moment was back with the backpack and a towel. Akiko went into Yuki's room to change(and snoop).

She shrugged out of the wet overalls, tee-shirt, and bra, and pulled on a short black skirt(she had no stockings, but that didn't really matter) and a snug black turtleneck sweater. She realized that she didn't have another bra, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Stuffing the clothes into her panda backpack, she walked toward the door. She turned, and realized that she'd left her bra on the futon. Muttering, she went back to get it, but as she reached for it, a malicious grin spread across her face and instead of picking up the bra, she pulled the blanket over it. Yuki would be in for a surprise. She straightened and walked out of the room.

Akiko dropped her panda bag by the door again and walked back into the room. She had a full-Blast Akito smile on her face. Yuki and Kyo both froze. Akiko glanced at Tohru, and switched to a cute, innocent smile. She sat down next to Yuki, and listened to the forced conversation about some school assignment.

Hatori and Shigure came back into the room. Akiko got up and absent-mindedly straightened Hatori's tie and Shigure's kimono, then shuffled away. She picked up one of Yuki's textbooks, and thumbed through it absently.

Shigure looked at Hatori. "Wasn't that…weird?"

Hatori glanced back at him. "What?" He asked.

"She just straightened our _clothes_."

"So?"

"You mean..?"

"Akito does it all the time."

Shigure just shook his head and picked up the manuscript he was working on. Hatori sat down and sipped at a little cup of tea.

The four teenagers were playing cards when Hatori said it was time to go. She said goodbye to everyone and got into the car with Hatori.

Yuki sighed with relief. That crazy Akiko girl who looked like Akito so much-his twin!-had finally left. Yuki had been thoroughly freaked out. He went to his room and flung himself onto the futon. He felt a little lump under his back and shifted slightly, but it didn't go away. With another sigh, he sat up and pulled the covers back to find out what was on the bed. His eyes suddenly bugged out in shock.

It was a bra. A cute black bra with black and white clips, clearly part of Akiko's outfit. She had been wearing pandas through and through. A high pitched, strangled sound issued from his throat. He picked it up gingerly by the strap, and then flung it as far as he could out of the window. Then he lay back down on the futon and tried to forget about what had just happened.

Akiko stepped out of the car and walked into the house. She dumped the contents of the panda bag out onto the floor. Hatori walked into the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

"Crap," Said Akiko, dropping her now-empty panda bag on the floor.

"What is it?" Asked Hatori, turning to face her.

"Oh, I left my bra in Yuki's room. Now I don't have a full matching panda set any more." She pouted.

Hatori's mouth dropped open. "You...Yuki...WHAT!?" he sputtered in confusion. He looked stunned and dropped to his knees, one hand plastered over his eyes. "I did not need to know that..." he muttered.

"Oh, no, Hatori, don't use your power on _yourself_!" She exclaimed. She walked over to him and quickly pried his hand away from his eyes. He fell over in a faint. Akiko sighed.

"I hate to do this, but…" She leaned over and hugged him.

PYON!

Akiko gathered up his clothes and picked him up. She went to his room and tucked him under the futon, surprisingly gentle. Then she dumped his clothes in a corner and left to go to bed.

Hatori woke up the next morning and stretched. He shook his hair out of his eyes and sat up, when he noticed the bundle of clothes in the corner. He never crumpled clothes like that. He didn't remember putting them away. In fact, he didn't remember anything after he got back from Shigure's house. He started to pull off the sheet, when he realized that he was completely naked.

"What the hell did I do last night?" He wondered aloud.

AUTHORS NOTE:

right. Does anyone actually read these things? >.> heh, please R&R, or I'll sic Hatori or a certain red-headed guy on you. griiiiiiiiin heh. Well, maybe not. but please review anyway


	5. Chapter Five

Sorry this one took so long. I THOUGHT I posted it...but apparently I didn't, so here it is -.-

I'm so disorganized. Also, note to reviewer: I didn't actually intend to have Momiji in this story at all, Sorry! I may revise that later, of course, but sorry in advance if I don't. Uh, yeah...read and enjoy. I'm not very coherent right now..>.>

CHAPTER 5

Akiko opened her eyes languidly. She was still smiling at the events of last night. Shigure and the bra thing, leaving it in Yuki's room, Hatori trying to wipe his own memory…oh, this was too rich. It was so much fun, being a girl. Although…she would still rather be Akito. She got up and pulled on a robe over the slinky black nightgown she was wearing. She could hear Hatori moving around the kitchen.

The table was set for Akiko and Hatori. Momiji had already left for school. At Akiko's place, there was a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice and miso. At Hatori's place, there was a coffee cup and an ashtray. Akiko sat down and started eating.

Hatori came in and lit a cigarette. Akiko frowned at the smoke but didn't say anything. After taking a long drink of coffee, Hatori stubbed out his cigarette and cleared his throat.

"Akiko, what happened after we got back from Shigure's last night?" He asked. Akiko blinked. He really _had_ wiped his own memory. She decided to tease him a bit.

"Well, you seemed to be enjoying yourself. Don't tell me you regret it, now?"

"What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" She giggled girlishly. "You're pretty good at kissi-"

"You're joking." Hatori cut her off.

Akiko sighed. "Yes I am. You passed out, so I hugged you and put you to bed."

Hatori let out a sigh of relief. "So nothing happened. Good."

They finished their respective breakfasts. Then Hatori went into his study and picked up a parcel that had come while they were out last night.

Akiko sat down on the couch and contemplated what to do. Hatori came and tossed a package to her.

"Go put that on." He said.

"Why?"

"You have to take an entrance exam for high school, and you have to wear the uniform."

"What do you mean? HIGH SCHOOL? I'm the head of the freakin' family! And I've already done high school!"

"But you can't stay in the house with a male, alone. And you aren't the head of the family. Akito is."

"I _am_ Akito!"

"Right now, you're Akiko."

"ARG! Fine. What high school am I going to?"

"The same one as Yuki, Tohru, Kyo, Haru and Momiji"

Akiko shuddered. "Oh, well. At least Yuki will be there."

Akiko had passed the entrance exam with a grade of 100. That was because, aside from being a Sohma, She had already done high school. She was transferred into most of Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru's classes. Staring at Yuki became boring after the first few hours, and she already knew everything that was being taught, so she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Akiko was fixing her hair in front of the mirror when a Prince Yuki Fan club trio, including the president, came in. She didn't even waste half a glance on the Yuki-obsessed girls. Not that she blamed them. Yuki _was_ hot.

The President stationed herself in front of Akiko, blocking escape from the bathroom. "How are you connected to Yuki-kun?" She demanded. Akiko figured they noticed when Yuki, Tohru and Kyo had greeted her. Or else they noticed her staring, and how Yuki was affected.

She looked at them critically. "So it's true. Yuki really does have a fan club." She laughed and shook her head pityingly. "Too bad he's taken." She turned and flipped her hair, gracefully walking right past them and out of the bathroom door.

"She…_dismissed_ us?" one of the girls said in shock. They turned to see their president staring at the spot where Akiko had stood, clutching her cheeks, fingernails digging into the flesh.

"t…_taken_?"

Akiko was sitting in the classroom again when an announcement squealed over the PA system.

"Emergency meeting of the princesses in the gym immediately!" There were some muffled sounds and what appeared to be a teacher's voice. "Oh, all right. After school. I_mmediately _after school."

Akiko grinned smugly. Yuki turned and stared at her.

She winked.

Shigure was walking through the backyard when something in a tree caught his eye. It was black and white, but he couldn't see it clearly. He walked back and forth under the tree until he found a spot where he could see it.

It was a bra.

A cute panda bra. Clearly part of Akito the girl's attire.

What was it doing in a tree?

Shigure backed up and looked at the tree. He noticed it was almost perfectly in line with…Yuki's window.

The bra came out of Yuki's room. How did it get into Yuki's room? A horrible (and amusing) picture was developing in Shigure's mind. Akito had always liked Yuki. Would he use his girl-body to?

Shigure shook his head and tried to forget about it. The image of Yuki and Akito just wouldn't leave. The two of them in the bedroom-

He shook his head again. Walking back to the tree, he stared up at the bra and wondered how he might go about getting it down.

Akiko got home and slumped down into her bed. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. Hatori shook his head and went to his office to work.

Going to school quickly became routine for Akiko. Hatori would drive her there, she would sleep or stare at Yuki through her classes, have lunch, sleep/stare some more, and then go home. Several days passed this way, until Akiko got bored. She was late for school a few times because Hatori was working on something, but other than that, one day was pretty much the same as any other.

Akiko was sitting on the couch, contemplating what to do on the weekend. Suddenly, she decided to learn how to drive. She'd get Hatori to teach her.

(A/N: This is the most random thing ever. There is nothing leading up to this and I just put this in because...I don't know, But it's funny...I hope >.>)

Hatori stared down at Akiko in utter disbelief when she asked. "Isn't it enough that you torture people _inside _the family? You'll kill half the population in Tokyo!"

"Hatori, you had better be joking."

"…I…am…" He said insincerely. "I'll take you to that empty lot near the river."

"There's a river?"

"Yes. It's not really near anything else."

AUTHORS NOTE:

Yeah...likeI mentioned, random. R&R, I'll try to post the rest of this soon... hugs


	6. Chapter Six

Hello again, all! Thanks SOOO much for those of you who reviewed! I was getting discouraged for awhile, due to the big spoiler...which I won't talk about, but several people reviewed just to tell me that this fanfiction isn't possible. I was going to take it down...but now I WON'T! maniacal laughter Seriously, hugs to all positive reviewers...and hopefully, you'll all enjoy this chapter! Remember, positive reviews increased self-esteem more, and faster updates! ;PSorry this chapter took so long...>.>

CHAPTER 6

Hatori spent most of the morning explaining how the car worked, and showing Akiko how to adjust things. Akiko insisted on trying to drive almost immediately after they ate lunch. She was actually pretty good, but Hatori wasn't about to say so.

After whirling around the huge parking lot that was exclusively for Sohmas to learn to drive for a few hours, they decided to relax. Akiko stopped the car and reclined then seat. She was feeling very content, and very hot. The car didn't have air conditioning, so she opened the top three buttons of her blouse, giving a good view to any male who cared to look. Hatori didn't, of course. He reached for the radio button and recoiled at a look from Akiko.

"Try that again, Hatori, and I'm driving to Nagasaki."

"You don't have any money!"

"Oh, I've got one of those Golden Sohma Credit Cards."

"I could trace it."

"Do you know how many Sohmas there are in Nagasaki?"

"Not many."

"Enough."

Hatori gave up. By now, it was dark, and both of them were tired. Hatori reclined his seat too, and soon fell asleep.

After an hour, Akiko decided she wanted to go home. Hatori was still asleep, so she drove, a bit unsteadily at first. When she got there, she hugged Hatori, gathered his clothes, and walked inside. She had just dumped his clothes in the corner and turned toward the futon when-

PYON!

He changed back. Akiko fell backwards onto the futon, Hatori half on top of her. When the smoke from the transformation cleared, Akiko was lying on the futon, her hands against Hatori's bare chest. Hatori's hands were braced on either side of Akiko's shoulders, and their legs were tangled together. Their faces were inches apart.

For a few seconds, they remained frozen in that position. Then Hatori glanced down at himself, catching a considerable eyeful of Akiko's cleavage in the process. He tried to shove himself off of her with one arm, but didn't make it and fell back heavily. He caught himself again, but this time their noses banged together and were almost touching when Hatori balanced himself again.

"Shit." said Akiko.

Hatori echoed the sentiment, although he didn't say anything. He shoved again, and managed to roll off of her. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around his waist and fled to his office.

Akiko propped herself up on one elbow and shook her head. She got up and left the room. It was about an hour before Hatori ventured back in.

Hatori stretched and opened his eyes the next morning at his customary waking hour. The first thing he saw was Akiko's face.

He bit back a scream.'This is a dream, this is a horrible dream...ok, it's not ending, it's not a dream..." He whispered aloud. Moving his head marginally, he discovered that she was nestled against him, in such a way that if he moved, he would either wake her or transform. Since he knew from experience that Akito hated to be woken before he was ready, his only option was to lie there. Transforming would definitely wake her up. Unfortunately, this gave Hatori time to ponder what the heck she was doing in his bed anyway.

Did she do it on purpose, because she knew it would drive him crazy? (In more ways than one, but Hatori didn't let himself acknowledge that). Or did she sleepwalk or something? He honestly didn't know. Akiko chose that moment to wake up. She was the type who moved around and got out of bed without actually opening her eyes. She pulled off the covers and stretched, the sheer black material of her slinky nightdress (Where the hell did she BUY that thing?) hiked up almost to her waist (!). She stretched her neck forward - and banged into Hatori's face. She leaned back, a puzzled expression on her face, her eyes still closed. Reaching her hand forward, she touched Hatori's cheek. She opened her eyes reluctantly.

Akiko's scream echoed throughout the main compound. Hatori reached up with his free hand(Akiko was using his other arm as a pillow) and clapped his hand over her mouth. She eyes were wide with panic.

When Hatori finally let her go, she scrambled backwards away from him.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?" She demanded.

"Actually, Akiko, _you_ are in_ my_ bed."

Akiko paused and looked around. He was right. "How the hell did you get me into your bed? What did we…?"

Hatori froze, then shook his head. She got to her feet, the nightdress dropping back into place and covering most of her legs. Hatori got up.

"I must have sleepwalked." Akiko said, looking confused and rather disoriented. Hatori believed her. The scream had done it. If she had come of her own volition, then she wouldn't have acted like that. She left the room, and he shook his head again. If this kept up, he would be completely insane by the time the next weekend rolled around.

Kagura came by the next day after school. To Hatori's surprise, Akiko stuck around and chatted with her for hours. They talked about school, Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Akito, and Rin. That last name surprised him. The next day, Kagura came again, and this time they had Rin in tow. Akiko yelled something about going to her house and left. Hatori essentially ignored her, because he was too embarrassed to risk talking to her at this point.

Akiko, Rin and Kagura sat around in Rin's bedroom, gossiping about nothing. Rin, however, had expressed an interest in Akito, and Akiko wanted to know what they thought about her. Him. Whatever.

"So what do you guys think about Akito?" she asked casually.

"That asshole?" laughed Rin "He's not worth the time of day."

Akiko was shocked. "Have you forgotten who I am?" She replied coldly. She had almost blurted out that she was him again.

"Oh, oops. You won't tell him I said that, right?"

"What do you call your brother, Akiko?" Kagura asked.

"What? You mean other than Akito?"

"yeah, nicknames and such."

Akiko thought fast. "Uh...uh…Wacky-Aki-Chan!" she said, in english

"_Wacky-Aki-Chan?_" Rin and Kagura chorused.

Akiko nodded, then realized how stupid it sounded. "I do it to tease him. He doesn't dare hurt me."

Rin was rolling on the bed with laughter. Akiko glanced at her watch.

"Oh, I should leave now. I wouldn't want Ha'ri to worry."

Rin couldn't reply.

"Bye!" said Kagura as Akiko left the room. She called Hatori and asked him to pick her up. Hatori arrived and took her home, this time uneventfully.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Yeah. this has a bit more...well, insanity than usual,I suppose..meh. hugs all review...pleaaaaaase :p Oh, and another note: I realize that the junishi don't transform when Akito hugs them, but it's just funnier, and better this way.heh.

see you next time!


	7. Chapter Seven

Hello again. This is probably the angstiest and most serious chapter. I don't like the way it turned out, i just couldn't get a good feel for the characters here, so...yeah. I don't really like this chapter, but, enjoy.

CHAPTER 7

The next day after school, Akiko was sitting on the swivel chair in Hatori's office. She was twirling around and playing with about a hundred butterfly hair clips, in all colors, evidently obtained from Kagura. Hatori was sitting at the other desk in his office, trying to work.

Suddenly, Akiko stood up and walked over to Hatori. "You should really stop letting your hair cover your eyes, you know." She clipped his bangs back with a sparkly pink butterfly clip.

"What's the point?" He said bitterly. "It's not like I can see out of it anyway." They both heard the unspoken words. Akiko stood, shocked. She couldn't believe that Hatori would say something like that to her. Then, suddenly, she was screaming, screaming as loudly as she could at Hatori.

"HOW DARE YOU? THIS MESS IS ALL YOUR FAULT ANYWAY! I DON'T SEE HOW WHAT I _ACCIDENTLY_ DID TO YOU CAN COMPARE TO THIS?"

"I DIDN'T TURN YOU INTO A FREAKY BITCH ON PURPOSE!"

"I AM STILL THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY- DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT HATORI! YOU HAVE TO OBEY ME! HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN _TRYING_ TO FIND A CURE FOR THIS STUPID CONDITION?" She yanked her blouse open angrily, revealing her female figure.

"LIKE I WANT TO HAVE TO PUT UP WITH A SLUT LIKE YOU FOREVER!"

"I AM NOT A BITCH, OR A SLUT, YOU LOWLIFE! I AM YOUR SUPERIOR! YOU HAVE TO BE RESPECTFUL!"

"OH, AND LIKE THAT DID ME ANY GOOD WHEN I WANTED TO MARRY KANA?"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT WHORE!"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT KANA THAT WAY!"

"I AM THE HEAD OF HER FAMILY AS WELL, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT _THAT WHORE_ ANY WAY I WANT TOO!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, IF YOU TALK LIKE THAT ABOUT KANA, I'LL KILL YOU!"

Akiko's voice grew quiet, as though he was baiting Hatori. "Oh, have we hit a nerve?"

Hatori stiffened. "Kana was and is completely faithful to those that she loves." He whispered back clearly, murder in his eyes.

"She wasn't faithful to you.."

"She was!"

"Then why did she marry that other man? If she had truly loved you-"

"SHE WAS COMPLETELY FAITHFUL!"

"THEn WHY THE HELL DID SHE LEAVE YOU, HATORI? WHY ISN'T SHE STILL BY YOUR SIDE?"

"BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"IF YOU HAD JUST ALLOWED US TO GET MARRIED INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MAKE ME UNHAPPY-"

"I WAS NOT JUST TRYING TO MAKE YOU UNHAPPY!"

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME MARRY KANA? I LOVED HER!"

"BECAUSE SHE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!"

Hatori, taken aback, had fallen silent. Akiko had finally stopped screaming to breathe. She'd collapsed to her knees at some point, and now she got to her feet again, glaring. For the first time in her memory, Hatori glared back. Suddenly, she grabbed a handful of hair clips and hurled them at him, screaming wordlessly at the top of her lungs. Shaking the sparkling multicolored butterflies out of his hair and clothes, Hatori grabbed Akiko by the shoulder and slapped her ringingly across the face. Then, shocked at what he had done, he let his arm drop to his side and let go of her. Akiko fell back, one hand touching her cheek, glaring hatefully at Hatori. She was more surprised that hurt. As the reality of what he had done sunk in, Akiko lunged forward in sudden fury. She screamed wordlessly in a blind rage, raking her fingernails across Hatori's face along his blind eye. As the drops of red blood trickled down his face, Akiko realized what she'd done. Hatori gasped out loud from the pain, crimson blood dripping between his fingers as Akiko fled the room.

Ayame and Shigure were watching from outside the window. "I've never seen Hatori yell like that before." Shigure remarked.

"And probably won't ever again," Ayame replied. "Didn't you bring the video camera?"

"No."

"Aw, darn."

Sitting in the bedroom after the fight, Akiko changed into a nightgown and sat on the futon, struggling not to cry. Why had she hurt Hatori like that? She couldn't face him now. Not after almost hurting his eye again, and everything she'd said. She bit her lip to keep the tears back and dug her nails forcefully into her forearm, but the deep scratches that dribbled blood did nothing to ease her misery. Slowly, though, as she sat there, she felt the misery ebb away to be replaced by rage. Glaring at the marks on her forearm, she picked up the portable phone and dialed Rin.

He'd cleaned up his eye and bandaged it, but it still throbbed with a dull pain. He shook his head, unable to forgive himself for raising a hand to Akiko, but some part of him thinking that it was about time she got what she deserved.

A few hours later, Hatori had wandered into the kitchen. He stared at the note left on the dining table. All it said was 'AT RINS'. It was underlined so hard that the paper was ripped. He lifted the note and looked under it. There was a deep scratch in the table where the line had been. He shook his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. His fingers caught on something and he pulled it away from his head.

It was the pink butterfly clip.

Authors Note:

I probably shouldn't point out the mistakes and, well...sheer stupidity of this chapter. er, yeah R&R, please!


	8. Chapter Eight

Yeah...I updated about three minutes ago, and now I'm doing it again! YAY MARCHBREAK! >.>

read, and enjoy.

CHAPTER 8

Akiko lounged on Rin's bed, feeling much more relaxed away from Hatori. Kagura and Rin were sitting cross-legged on the floor, waiting for Akiko to explain what happened. It was a traditional bitch-about-life night. Well, Akiko bitched, Rin and Kagura listened. And around three in the morning, she felt better. Exhausted, but far more at peace. Kagura suggested they go to bed so that they could go shopping the next day, it being a Saturday. Rin and Kagura readily agreed.

The weekend had passed extremely quickly, in a whirlwind of shopping, talking and laughing. Kagura was heading for Shigure and Yuki's house, so that she could spend some time with Kyo, and Rin and Akiko were on the subway, heading back to Rin's house.

"Rin," muttered Akiko out of the corner of her mouth "there's a guy back there touching my ass, what do I do?"

Rin turned slightly and found the guy Akiko was talking about. "Well, first you do this-" She grabbed one of the guys arms and twisted it back "And then this-" she twisted the fingers together and bent them back "and then this." She wrenched her hand downward and was rewarded by the loud crack of the man's fingers breaking.

Akiko grinned slyly. "Could you show me that again?" she asked. Rin repeated the maneuver on his other hand, adding a kick in the shin for good measure. The man fell to the ground, groaning in agony. Everyone else on the subway backed up a few paces, giving the Souma girls a wide berth.

When they hopped off the subway, there were about six policemen waiting for them. "Shit," muttered Rin. Akiko just tossed her head. She knew how to handle these guys.

Down at the station, Akiko and Rin sat across from the police inspector. "Why did you attack that man on the train?" He asked, leaning forward across the desk. "He sustained serious injuries and is currently in the hospital."

"H..he t-touched me." sniffed Akiko, trying to look traumatized (and cute). The policeman didn't understand what she meant. "But on the subway, it's a little hard to avoid physical contact-"

"She means that he grabbed her ass, stupid." Rin retorted angrily, reaching around Akiko protectively. The policeman looked shocked, and Akiko scrunched her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, as though to hide tears, although she was actually covering a triumphant smirk. The policeman felt very sympathetic towards her.

"I see. Well I'll need your names and ages for the record, to start with."

"Sohma Akiko and Sohma Rin. My brother is the head of our family." Akiko sniffled. The policeman stiffened visibly.

"Sohma..?" He lifted his radio and mumbled something into it, trying not to look alarmed. "Well, girls, you have been cleared of all charges and offered a formal apology. Please permit me to take you home."

Akiko simply smiled.

Back at Hatori's house, Akiko went straight to her room. Rin had decided to visit Hiro, because she hadn't been there in a while. Akiko refused to talk to Hatori. She just changed her clothes and went to bed.

Hatori, although he was no longer angry, had no desire to speak to Akiko either. He had spent the weekend alone, working. He had also done some reaserch on the medicine that he had given Akito and found a warning on the website. "Do not use if cursed. Unfortunate side effects may occur." There was nothing yet about countering those side effects, but it was progress. Hatori had gone to bed.

The next morning, Hatori was up early as usual.

"I don't want to go to school today, Ha-San." Akiko whined, coming into the dining room. She was wearing a short, flouncy black skirt and a snug pink V-neck top. An extremely low-cut V-neck top.

"Why not?" Hatori asked, not looking at her.

"The endurance run is today! I can't do that."

"Akiko, you're going to school whether you like it or not," He said, giving her a paternal glare.

"Oh, yeah?" Akiko said, smiling evilly. "Look who's got the car keys." She held them up.

"Give me those." Hatori said, reaching for them. Akiko's grin grew a little wider and she dropped them down the front of her shirt and into her bra.

"Come and get them," She said. Hatori's eyes widened. Akiko could see his throat move as he swallowed, but she was pretty confident that he had far too much decency and dignity to reach down the front of her shirt.

Hatori got up and walked toward Akiko. He knew he had to get the keys back, but he didn't know how he would. He could just reach down her shirt-but that was something Shigure would do. He would be so embarrassed that he would probably transform. He reached out hesitantly with one trembling arm. Akiko twitched her shoulders, making the keys jingle. Hatori gave up and fled the room. Akiko, smiling, went back to bed.

Later that day, Akiko got out of bed. Her skirt and shirt were wrinkled, so she pulled them off and hunted through her wardrobe to find something to wear. Since her bra and underwear were strawberry-patterned, she decided to wear matching clothes. Then she realized the car keys were still in her bra. She frowned and pulled out the front of it, about to get the keys when…Hatori slid the door open.

There was about three seconds of dead silence in which neither of them moved. They simply stared at each other. Then Akiko let her bra snap back into place with a little smile. An evil little smile that said 'I'll punish you for this'.

Hatori opened and closed his mouth helplessly. He backed out of the door and then turned and ran. When he finally stopped to breathe, he turned and started banging his head mercilessly against the wall.

Akiko scowled and dug the keys out from her bra, tossing it into a corner of the room. Then she decided she would punish Hatori by wearing something he wouldn't be able to stand. Petty, and rather girlish, she knew, but what the heck. She was a girl, wasn't she? Hmm…

She picked up a cute, pink, strawberry patterned dress. It was short, and had straps, but wouldn't do for what Akiko had in mind. Then she had an idea. She pulled the dress over her head. It wouldn't do to go walking around in just underclothing. She glanced at her watch and decided that Rin would be home by now. She picked up the phone and dialed Rin's number. A short time later, she walked to the nearest subway station, where she met Rin.

Operation Drive Hatori Insane was underway.

Authors Note:  
Read and Review...I update faster whenI get more reviews!


	9. Chapter Nine

Thankies so much for those kind reviews! They are very heartening. and now...enjoy the chapter. I have nothing else to say. Except that my review-eater's tummy is rumbling, andI have little left to feed him with ;P.

(yes, I'm shameless, aren't I?)

Enjoy.

CHAPTER 9

Hatori paced angrily around his office. Akiko should have been home by now. It was almost ten o'clock. He hadn't even realized she'd left, until he discovered that the front door was still open. He had checked the phone, and found that the last number called was Rin's. Which was fairly fortunate. He didn't even know why he was worrying. Then he heard the door open. He rushed from his office, intending to scold her for making him worry.

Someone walked in, but he wasn't sure quite whom, until she turned and gave him a catlike smile. Hatori stumbled back against the wall, wrenching his gaze away.

It was Akiko. She was wearing spike-heeled sandals, black and strappy. Her skirt was so short and tight that it defied the laws of physics. By rights, it should have been bunched around her waist. The shirt-if it could be called that-barely covered her upper torso. It was a lace-up thing that allowed anyone to see bare skin almost straight from her collar to her navel. She was very obviously not wearing a bra. Around her neck there was a black choker. Her hair was pulled back in a jaw-clip, and longer pieces hung around her face, which had been transformed. Her narrow eyes had been emphasized with eyeliner, and her eyelashes lengthened with mascara. Black eye shadow faintly made her eyes seem even darker than they naturally were. The rest of her face was pale, as usual, except for her lips. Her lips were a brilliant red color, shiny and wet looking.

She paused, and turned on her heels. Outside of the door, a figure on a motorcycle had just dropped her off. Akiko waved and blew them a kiss. Unbeknownst to Hatori, the figure was Rin, but her long hair was done up inside the helmet, and she was wearing a full leather jacket as opposed to her usual lace-up shirts, so he couldn't tell it was her. Rin waved back and roared off on the borrowed motorcycle. Akiko walked to the couch and slumped down on it, not caring what showed. She picked up a cushion, and hugged it for a second, not realizing or caring that her blood-red lipstick was smeared all over it.

Hatori fled for his office once more. Akiko was picking up guys now? And what was she doing dressed like _that_? Where did she get that stuff? And the makeup…?

The scariest thing was that the overall effect was, well, rather appealing. Hatori smacked his head against the desk, trying frantically to rid his mind of the new image of Akiko.

Shigure received a frantic phone call from Hatori at about ten. The teenagers were all sleeping because they had school the next day.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Ha-san? What's wrong?"

"Help me. I'm beginning to find Akito sexually attractive." He was so distraught that he didn't realize that he had said Akito instead of Akiko.

Shigure choked back a laugh. "Look, I'll come over tomorrow while she's at school and we can discuss it."

Silence on Hatori's end.

"Oh, and should I bring Ayame?"

"Why not! Let's make it a party." Hatori sounded near hysterical.

"So I should bring booze?"

"Yes. And lots of cigarettes."

"Ok." Shigure hung up the phone, stretched and went to bed. Hatori simply stared at the phone in his hand. He gently put it down in the cradle, turned purposefully toward his desk and started smacking his head again.

Akiko had gotten up from the couch a few minutes after Hatori had left the room. She'd just gone to bed after changing her clothes. In the morning, she'd gotten up, changed into her school uniform, washed off the remnants of the makeup and brushed out her hair. But she left the clothes she had been wearing on her unmade futon, just in case Hatori ventured in.

Akiko was in the bathroom, experimenting with lip-gloss, when Hatori walked in. She smiled at him in the mirror and made the kissing gesture.

"Good morning, Ha-San." She said, turning to him. He didn't appear to notice she was there, so she left.

When she had gone to breakfast, she'd noticed that Hatori had a large bruise in the center of his forehead. Akiko didn't waste time wondering. Hatori looked dazed, as though he hadn't fully woken up yet. Akiko decided that she would get to school on her own today. She didn't trust Hatori behind the wheel.

About an hour after Akiko had left, Ayame and Shigure showed up. They found Hatori still sitting at the table with a dazed expression one his face.

Shigure grabbed a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and shoved it into Hatori's mouth. Hatori blinked, as though he was waking up, and took a long drag. Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, he slumped face-first onto the table.

Ayame was the first to break the long silence. "So what's this I hear about you finding Akito sexually attractive?" He paused, and no one said anything. "Well, I don't blame you, the way he's always letting his yukata fall open like that…"

"Akiko, not Akito." Hatori said, without lifting his head.

"Oh. well, she's not so bad either-"

Hatori finally lifted his head. "You know what she did this morning? I walked in on her putting on makeup, _makeup_ in the bathroom this morning. She blew me a kiss! She…She's in one of those sailor uniforms! It's just wrong!"

Shigure suddenly realized that Ayame didn't know that Akiko and Akito were the same person. "Uh..Ha-san..?"

"What?"

"Ayame doesn't know-"

"...oh…You tell him."

After Shigure explained, Ayame let out a long, low whistle. "That explains a lot." He said, stretching.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it." Hatori agreed. "What am I going to do?"

"Do? About what?"

"Akiko, you moron!"

Shigure was watching this exchange with a look of amusement on his face. He sat down and opened a beer.

"Give me one." Hatori said, not looking at him. Ayame looked very amused as well.

"Well, why don't you tell us what she's done?"

Hatori recounted the bra episode, the driving episode, what had happened after they came home, waking up in the same bed, the keys in the bra, walking in on her when she was changing, and how she had come home last night.

"Look," He said, pointing to a cushion. The cushion that Akiko had hugged. Shigure went over and got it. It was covered in her red lipstick.

"Wow." Said Ayame, examining the cushion. "This is Rin's brand, too. It doesn't come out."

Hatori groaned and slumped on the table, dropping his cigarette on the tatami. Shigure quickly picked it up before it could burn anything. Ayame grinned and winked. Shigure understood and nodded, then held up four fingers briefly. Ayame nodded back.

"I don't see what's wrong. But.." he trailed off.

"But? But what?" Hatori demanded.

"But, I think that the scariest thing is…You like this."

"WHAT?" What the hell are you on? How could I-"

"Or, more specifically," He cut Hatori off. "You like her."

"WHAT!" He flung a second cigarette onto the titami. Shigure picked it up. Hatori seemed like he was about to go on a rampage and kill something, but he deflated and sank back to the table.

Ayame grinned. "See? That's 10000 yen for me." Shigure scowled and handed it over. Hatori looked up.

"You were betting on me? My best friends…I don't believe this. She's a teenager, for God's sake. I can't take this! The only thing she doesn't do is get into trouble at school. It's gotten so I expect a call at any second! She came home at ten with a _guy_. I can not take this!" He lit another cigarette and shoved it between his teeth. Then his cell phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Souma Hatori?"

"Yes, may I help you?"

"You are the guardian of Souma Akiko, correct? Well, this is one of her teachers. She's had some trouble-" The teachers voice cut off suddenly, to be replace by Akiko's.

"Hatori, don't listen to them! It was their fault! I-" Akiko's voice was cut off and replaced by a different teacher's.

"I apologize. Her suspension has been doubled after what she did to the teacher. You are her father?"

"NO! No, I'm her cousin."

"Oh. Is it possible for you to come and pick her up, immediately?"

"ah-"

"Wonderful! We will be expecting you as soon as possible." She said in a falsly cheerful voice, the true meaning of which was obviously 'Take this crazy girl far, far away from me'.

There was a click, and then dial tone.

Hatori stared hatefully down at the phone for a second. Then he hurled it with all his strength across the room. It hit the wall and shattered. Throwing down his cigarette, again, Hatori sank down and sobbed. Shigure, who by this time was thoroughly tired of picking them up, emptied the contents of the beer can on it to put it out. It burst into flame.

"You idiot!" cried Ayame. He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a bucket of water from a servant that was mopping. He dumped the water on the mess and then turned to chew out Shigure. "Don't you know that beer is _flammable?_"

Hatori got up and went to look for the car keys. They were hanging on the hook again, fortunately. Leaving Ayame to rant at Shigure, he went to pick up Akiko.

Author's Note:

R&R. Well,I assume if you're reading this, you've already read the story...so R, as in REVIEW. Also, I in no way advocate drunk driving. Hatori isn't drunk. Just hysterical.Yes. Until next time, Farewell.


	10. Chapter Ten

AHhhh! so sorry this took so long >. I've been so busy, and sooo stessed... but that's just unimportant. Also, I'vedecided that I'll continue this storyline until the end, and then post some bonus chapters thatI haven't found time to write yet.Yeah, that's totally out of the blue...butI thought I'd just let you guys know that the end will not really be the end...and we still have more than six chapters to gountil we get to the end anyway. :P

So anyway, R&R, enjoy!

CHAPTER 10

By the time Hatori got to the school, he was entirely composed. He parked the car, and walked straight to the principal's office.

There were six people sitting in the chairs in the office. One was a teacher, nursing a bloody nose and a split lip, and three others were young girls he didn't know, nursing other various injuries. A boy he didn't know was wincing as he touched his black eye, and Akiko was sitting primly in her chair with no visible injuries except a slight bruise on one cheek. Hatori shook his head in amazement.

Another teacher noticed him standing outside of the door and ushered him into the room. "You are Souma Hatori, the father of Souma Akiko?"

"NO!" Hatori yelled. "I mean, no, I am her guardian, but not her father."

"I see. Well, is it possible that we could contact her parents-"

"I'm an orphan." Akiko snapped.

"Oh. Well then, will you please have a seat? We have to discuss what went on in the hall today. Akiko, why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Fine." She said sulkily. "That boy flipped my skirt, and what I did to him was just a reflex. I lived in a convent for the last twelve years of my life, what did you think I was going to do? Those girls laughed at me after that, and I told them that just because they were older didn't mean that they could be rude to me. She slapped me, and I warned them to leave me alone. And then that one pulled my hair and we got into a fight."

"So that's how your cheek was bruised." Hatori said.

"Yes, love," She replied with a mischievous smirk. The teachers stiffened visibly, and all the other students looked shocked. Hatori gave her a warning glance.

"How long is her suspension?" he asked.

"Two weeks, because she attacked the teacher. Everyone else involved had a week."

Hatori swallowed visibly. Two weeks, alone, at home, with Akiko? Well, it wasn't like he had a choice. "Very well. I'll take Akiko home now."

"Good," Akiko replied, standing up and threading her arm through his. He gave her a look and she let go, pouting. The two of them left the room.

When they got back, Ayame was gone, and Shigure was slightly more drunk and sitting on the mat. Rin had also arrived.

"Hey, Akiko," She said.

"'lo, Rin. I was just suspended for two weeks." She tilted her head towards her room. Rin and Akiko walked off to Akiko's room, Rin carrying a very large knapsack.

After they closed the door, Rin tossed Akiko a beer. "Now, tell me what happened."

A little later, back in the other room, Shigure fell asleep, a can of beer in his hand. Hatori, who by now was extremely drunk, wandered from the room. He met Akiko, also drunk, wandering from her room. Rin had apparently passed out.

Akiko bared her teeth at Hatori, feeling an inexplicable anger towards him. He returned the gesture. Akiko suddenly attacked in fury, clawing at him with her nails. Hatori grabbed both of her hands in his own, trying to prevent her from scratching him. He managed, for the most part, but then she tried to kick him. He tried to prevent it, but their legs got entangled and they crashed to the floor on their sides. Momentarily stunned, Hatori shook his head. Akiko bared her teeth again and snapped at him, while trying to pull her hands free. She was stronger than she looked, and Hatori couldn't afford to let go of her hands, so he snapped back at her. She tried to bite his nose, but he pulled his head back just in time. Then, trying to retaliate, he snapped at her nose, but because he was drunk, his aim was horrible, and he got her lower lip. Akiko glared and licked the blood from her lip. Then they both bit at each other at the same time. Their jaws locked together, and they glared at each other. Akiko pulled away fiercely and tried to press her body closer to Hatori's. If she could just get him to transform-

Hatori realized what she was trying to do fairly quickly. He let go of one of her hands and she clawed at his shirt, ripping all except for the last button off. The top button of his pants also opened. He got his free hand between them and pushed her away. He caught her other hand and held both of them in his own.

"Bastard!" she grunted, trying (and failing) to knee him. She bit at Hatori again, and he responded sluggishly. She felt his grip loosening and realized he was about to pass out. Wrenching her arms free, she slapped him on the hip. "Ha, I can hold my alcohol better than…you…"with that, she passed out as well, one hand still resting on his hip.

Dawn found them in the same hall the next morning. A bleary Shigure and Rin stumbled upon the two, sprawled on the floor. Exchanging evil grins, both of them reached for their cameras.

Their position had shifted slightly during the night. One of Hatori's hands was tangled in Akiko's hair. The other was resting lightly against her chest. Their legs were entwined and Akiko's skirt had hiked up so that her panties showed. Hatori's shirt was open except the last button and his pants were partially open too. One of Akiko's arms was beneath her head, and the other was on Hatori's hip. Their lips were almost touching.

Shigure took one of the photos and stuck it inside Hatori's almost empty cigarette box. He would find it very quickly. Rin stuck a copy of hers in Akiko's underwear drawer.

Akiko and Hatori were both stirring. Rin and Shigure both fled, not wanting to be around for the explosion that was sure to come. Both of them opened their eyes at the same moment, and jerked their heads backwards. Neither of them screamed, or made any sort of sound, probably because they felt as though they were going to throw up. They tried to untangle themselves and failed spectacularly. They got their legs mostly apart and their arms off of the respective chests and hips, but Hatori's hand remained tangled in her hair. He knew enough not to yank, as obviously that would cause a scream of pain and fury. They managed to get to their feet, blearily. Their heads were both aching (hangover, no doubt) and their clothes were pretty much destroyed. Hatori got his hand out of her hair with a few seconds of work, and started to straighten his clothes. Akiko straightened her skirt, and then suddenly yanked it up again and examined her lime green underwear. Panic filled her eyes.

"Wait," she said "This isn't the underwear I was wearing yesterday. I know I was wearing the peach pattern."

Hatori was slightly stunned. "Oh, no. Don't tell me we…we didn't, right?"

Akiko had already fled the room. Hatori went out to take a smoke. Turning the box upside down, two cigarettes and a piece of paper fell into his hand. He stuck a cigarette into his mouth, lit it, and then turned to paper over.

Akiko grabbed a towel and some clothes, then yanked open her underwear drawer. She intended to take a very long bath. She pulled out a plain black underwear set, barely noticing the piece of paper that was entangled with them. She walked to the bathroom and put down her clothes, then picked up the paper and turned it over.

Shigure and Rin winced as two screams echoed from Hatori's house.

"Do you think they woke up?" asked Rin.

"No," replied Shigure, "They wouldn't react quite so badly, especially with hangover. I think they found the pictures."

They decided to flee back to Shigure's house before they were discovered.

At Shigure's house, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo had gone to school. Ayame and Kagura, who had the day off, were there. They just sat around, talking about nothing much.

"Hm." said Shigure jokingly "We should get Akiko and Hatori together."

"Great idea!" said Rin. "They would make the perfect couple!"

"I was jok-" he was cut off by murmurs of agreement from Ayame and Kagura.

"But what if Akito doesn't approve?" Kagura asked after a moment.

Shigure and Ayame smirked at each other. "Oh, don't worry," said Shigure "he, uh, has a soft spot for his 'sister'"

They started to formulate a plan.

Author's note:

yeah...I realize that last bit was kinda weird. And about the underwear thing, that's just Akiko's memory being stupid. Such things tend to occur.Anyway, hope ya'alll enjoyed it and please review. My pet review-eater has been eating well for the past little while :P keep it up! heh.


	11. Chapter Eleven

I apologize for not updating for SOOO long. I'm sorry, but I've been really busy. To appease the angry "masses" (In actuality,I don't belive the readers of this fanfiction amount to even one mass...), I've decided to post THREE, yes, three, chapters. I won't make any morecomments until the end of the 13th chapter. PLEASE ENJOY!

CHAPTER 11

Kagura , Rin, Shigure and Ayame burst into the house about an hour later. "Akiko!" Kagura called cheerfully, throwing open the door to her room. She was lying on her futon, wearing only her bra and panties. Akiko glared blearily at Kagura and pulled the covers over her head.

"Come on!" Kagura said cheerily, pulling the blankets off of Akiko. "It's a perfect day to fly kites! The six of us are going on a picnic!"

"eh?" Akiko yawned. Rin pulled her to her feet and led her to the bathroom.

"Can't go out in your underwear." She replied, a mischevious smirk crossing her face. Kagura was busy going through all of Akiko's clothing, hunting for something nice to wear. Rin was brushing out Akiko's hair, since she didn't seem awake enough to do it herself.

Kagura found a cute white sundress and some white sandals that matched. Then she found an unopened bag full of jewelry that Kagura had bought for Akiko, but none of it had ever been used.

Akiko still wasn't quite awake when Rin began applying makeup to her face. This time she used the dark eyeliner to make Akiko's eyes seem big and innocent, and a little bit of blue eye shadow to bring out her blue-gray eyes. A little color in her cheeks and some sparkly pink lip gloss and she was done. Kagura pulled the sundress over Akiko's head and buttoned up the back. It was knee-length, with a flaring skirt and no sleeves, made of a soft material in a snow-white in color. The sandals Kagura had chosen were white as well, platforms with a rounded toe. Then she dug through the jewelry, choosing a pinkish-white shell necklace and a matching bracelet.

Rin and Kagura stepped back to admire their half-asleep handiwork. Then Rin blinked suddenly. "She's so pale though. She'll burn really badly if she doesn't wear a hat."

Kagura put a finger to her lips, trying to remember if she had bought a hat for Akiko. Oddly enough, she had; it was on the top shelf of the closet, a simple straw hat with a wide brim and a white ribbon running around it, the ends trailing over the brim and dangling down the back. Rin placed the hat on Akiko's head, careful not to mess up her hair. She was the picture of innocence. Kagura was wearing simply jeans and a loose tee-shirt, and Rin was in short-shorts and a tank top, but it didn't occur to Akiko to ask why she was the only one dressed up. They led her into the hallway and called for Shigure and Ayame.

Hatori, being the organized person that he is, was already up and working when Ayame and Shigure burst into his office. "Come on, Ha-san! It's such a beautiful day! We're going on a picnic!" proclaimed Ayame loudly, striking a pose. Shigure nodded in agreement, peering around the doorway.

"We?" said Hatori, not looking up from his work.

"Of course!" chirped Ayame cheerfully. "All six of us are going?"

"Do I have any say in this?"

"Nope!"

Hatori sighed as Shigure and Ayame dragged him out of his office.

Akiko and company were already in the car, waiting for Hatori, Ayame and Shigure. Hatori ended up behind the wheel. They arrived at the field in about twenty minutes.

Rin and Shigure immediately staked out what they insisted was the 'best' spot. Kagura and Ayame were given the task of setting up the picnic while the first two got the kite flying. It was a windy day, and Kagura and Rin were both in pants-low-slung, tight shorts, in Rin's case, but nothing that would flare up, nonetheless- so they didn't have to worry about showing anything … untoward. Unlike Akiko. Akiko was holding her dress down with both hands, stumbling toward the field.

"Oi, Akiko!" Yelled Rin, who was flying the kite with Shigure. "Come on, it's fun!"

Unbeknownst to both Hatori and Akiko, however, every detail of this event was orchestrated perfectly. The plan was to essentially get Hatori and Akiko alone, preferable deprive them of some clothing, and let nature take its course.

Ayame had fled back to the car almost immediately after getting burrs caught in his long silver hair. He was attempting to pick them out without a comb, and without breaking a single strand. Needless to say, it was not working.

"OOWW!"

Kagura, on the other hand, was sitting on the picnic blanket, pulling out sandwiches and other foodstuffs. Everything went well until she pulled out a jar of what appeared to be marshmallow paste. It exploded open, covering her hands, clothes, and hair in the sticky white substance.

And it was actually Krazy glue.

"Eewww…Hatori, can you help me?" She asked.

Hatori, of course, got his hands thoroughly covered in the stuff without helping Kagura at all.

Meanwhile, Shigure had ditched the girls with the kite and returned to help Kagura clean up. She was currently stuck to the picnic basket. Rin and Akiko were doing fine with the kite until Rin's shirt started to unlace. She let out a profane exclaimation and ran for the cover of the trees, leaving delicate little Akiko to hold onto the kite.

"Augh!" She had to use both hands to hold onto the kite, and was completely helpless when a strong breeze blew her skirt upwards, revealing the pearl-white embroidered underwear she was wearing. Unable to do anything, she screamed. Which was a mistake, as it attracted attention. Just then she was almost lifted off her feet as the wind picked up, yanking her along. It was all she could do to hang onto the kite string.

"Akiko," Hatori said, leaping to his feet and running to her. Shigure and Kagura high-fived, and found their palms stuck together.

Hatori reached out and grabbed Akiko by the waist just as a huge gust of wind tugged the kite upward and lifted her off the ground. Her skirt didn't flip this time, fortunately. He tugged her gently back down and continued to hold her around the waist. Akiko reeled in the kite slowly.

"Um, Hatori? You can let go now."

"I can't."

"Excuse me?"

"My hands are stuck to your dress."

"…"

"Sorry."

"I am going to KILL Kagura."

Akiko stalked angrily to where Kagura and Shigure were attempting to get the glue off. Their palms where still stuck together. Hatori had no choice but to follow her.

Shigure and Kagura looked up to find Akiko and Hatori glaring at them. Shigure was amazed; Hatori was glaring!

Kagura cringed. "Sorry, Hatori-san, Akiko-kun!"

Akiko continued to glare. Hatori's expression softened up a bit. He pulled away from Akiko, forgetting that his hands were glued to her waist.

A loud ripping sound was heard, and a second later, Hatori was a few feet away from Akiko. The sides and back of her dress had been ripped completely away, and were still stuck to Hatori's hands. Her glare was replaced by a look of shock and anger. Hatori quickly picked up his doctor's coat, which he'd been wearing when they left, and handed it to Akiko. She pulled it around her shoulders, glaring coldly at Shigure's amused expression. She stalked back toward the car, throwing a last contemptuous glance over her shoulder.

Ayame and Rin were at the car, each braiding a tiny braid in their long hair. They were glaring at each other, completely unaware that Akiko was directly behind them. She sighed, annoyed, and shoved them both out of the way and climbed into the front seat of the car. Everyone else squished into the back, except for Hatori. He was trying to figure out how to get Akiko's dress off of his hands. Finally, he gave up and just drove home, the dress not affecting his driving much. Everyone cleaned up and changed their clothes, managing to get rid of the Krazy glue without cutting any hair or skin off. They met in the living room afterward.

Akiko had loaned Kagura some clothes because hers had been ruined in the Krazy glue incident. Kagura was wearing a short, pleated plum-coloured skirt, a creamy white blouse and a plum-coloured ribbon in her hair. She also had cream-coloured knee-length socks. Akiko was dressed in the flouncy black skirt, a tight black spaghetti-strap tank top, and a white zippered-sweatshirt with silver sequins, draped over her shoulders. She was wearing black ankle socks and some silver clips holding her hair back. Rin, Hatori and Ayame were in the same clothes, not having been drenched in Krazy glue. Shigure had borrowed a pair of slacks and a shirt from Hatori.

Shigure and Kagura apologized profusely for what happened earlier. Hatori forgave them easily, not seeming to care very much, but Akiko was another story. She was sulking more than anything, not actually angry. Shigure figured he could get away with another attempt to get Akiko and Hatori together.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Quick note: There's a MARS reference in this chapter. Just names, you don't need to have read it to get it. I don't own MARS either.

CHAPTER 12

"So, how about a game of…" He paused dramatically "Truth or Dare!"

Rin, Ayame, and Kagura immediately agreed, as the plan dictated they would. Hatori remained silent, and Akiko's scowl deepened slightly, before being replaced by an amused smirk. "All right. Let's play."

"Wait," said Rin, a devious smile crossing her face "Just to make it interesting, lets give up an article of clothing of the questioner's choice when we don't want to answer a question or do a dare." Ayame, Shigure and Kagura agreed, also according to plan. However, this time, Hatori balked. "That's ridiculous. They're minors!"

"Whose a minor?" asked Shigure, glancing at everyone in the room.

"Rin!" Hatori replied, exasperated. Rin spoke up.

"Well, since my age is concealed in the manga, and evidently I can legally get beer, I don't think I'm a minor in this story."

Hatori sighed. "well, I refuse to play, at least."

"Aww, Ha-saaaaaan…" Shigure whined "You're no fun!"

Akiko was pouting dangerously, Hatori noted. Perhaps he would play, if only to forstall another argument. "Fine."

"Ok!" exclaimed Shigure happily. "You all know the rules. Any secrets revealed will not be repeated. Dares cannot be illegal, immoral or expensive, but that rule was repealed last time, so they can't be expensive; illegal is not recommended, but immoral is fine. And as Rin stipulated, if you don't wish to do a dare or answer the question, you must remove an article of clothing of the questioner's choice. Once someone looses all of their clothing, they have to answer every question and do any dare. The winner is the last person to retain some form of their own clothing. Any questions?" Shigure glanced around the circle. Nobody appeared to have any. "Ok, let's have…Kagura start!" Shigure said cheerfully. Kagura blushed slightly at this.

"ah…Hatori-san…Truth or Dare?" She said, not looking directly at him. The questions and dares had been planned ahead of time, so she wouldn't have much trouble coming up with anything.

"Truth" replied Hatori stotically, as usual.

"U-um…Who was the first person you ever kissed?"

Hatori hesitated slightly, then sighed. "Ayame." He replied in resignation. Ayame grinned and Shigure pouted. Akiko pointedly raised an eyebrow at Hatori, and Kagura looked slightly stunned that he'd actually answered her.

"Ok! Your turn Ha-san!" Shigure chirped happily.

"…" Hatori paused slightly, looking around. "Shigure…truth of dare?"

"dare!" exclaimed Shigure boldly.

"Uh…tell us your most embarrassing moment." Hatori muttered, not really caring. Shigure opened his mouth, about to speak when he noticed Akiko's glare. His most embarrassing moment did involve Akito… and Akiko obviously didn't want it revealed. Shigure stiffened visibly, and closed his mouth.

"Uh, no…"

Hatori blinked. "well…give me your shirt then." Shigure removed his shirt and threw it at Hatori, who caught it with no problem.

Shigure grinned. "My turn! Rin, who was the first guy you ever kissed?"

Rin looked thoughtful "It was either Tatsuya Kida, or Rei Kashino, can't remember which. I never really knew, actually."

"Ok," said Shigure, nodding and motioning her to go on.

She grinned, then paused and thought for a minute. "Akiko…truth or dare?"

"Truth" she replied shortly.

" umm…who do you have a crush on?"

Akiko blinked, quickly sorting through the list of male people she could plausibly like. 'ok, there's Yuki, Kyo, Haru, Momiji, Hiro, Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, Ritsu, and Kureno. Hatori, Shigure, Kureno, and Ayame are too old…and I'd never admit I liked them in front of them. Not that I do. And I'm not going tell the truth. But they all know I hate Kyo, and he's Kagura's anyway...Haru is Rin's, and Hiro and Momiji are too young…'

"well?" Rin prompted her.

'shoot! I'd better blush. Now…who? Ritsu is practically a girl…' Akiko's cheeks burned red, and she acted as through she was embarrassed. 'augh, I guess there's nothing to say except the truth.' Her expression faded into one of barely-controlled fury. "Yuki." She said shortly. "Shigure. Truth or Dare?" Akiko spat, clearly in a bad mood.

"uh.." Shigure was clearly hesitant to put himself at the mercy of Akiko's wrathful whim. "Truth"

Akiko glared, the air around her practically sparking. "Who was the last person you slept with?"

Shigure's eye's widened slightly and he glanced guiltily at Ayame. "him." He mumbled, jerking his head toward Ayame.

"You're gay?" asked Rin, arching an eyebrow.

"Bi." Said Shigure defiantly. "Not like the curse gives us much of a choice."

Rin nodded. Shigure grinned and turned to Ayame. "My Dear Ayame!" He said with an obviously false cheerfulness. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!" Ayame proclaimed with the air of one who was accepting a throne.

"ok…I dare you to dye your hair purple!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" replied Ayame, clutching his hair.

"Then give me your…um..the top layer of whatever it is your wearing."

Ayame removed it and tossed the bright red tunic-style sleeveless coat at Shigure. He caught it and set it aside.

Ayame smirked and turned toward Hatori. "Well, Ha-san…Truth or Dare?"

Hatori shrugged. "Dare."

"I…dare you to do something completely out of character."

"How long do I have?"

"Until midnight."

"Ok. My turn. Truth or dare, Kagura?"

"Truth." Kagura replied, blushing yet again.

"Who was your first love?" he asked.

Kagura's eye's went wide and she shook her head frantically.

"uh…well…give me your sock, then." Said Hatori, feeling awkward about asking a young girl to give him her clothing…even if it was just a sock. She pulled off the knee-length white sock and handed it to him. He took from her, and suddenly had an idea about how to do Ayame's dare.

Kagura glanced around the room. "mm…Rin, truth or dare.

Rin stretched upward lazily. "mm, dare."

Kagura grinned maliciously, much the way she looked directly before she was about to beat Kyo into a bloody pulp. "I dare you to flash the boys."

Rin grinned. Shigure looked like he was going to drop dead from ancipitation, Ayame looked mildly interested, and Hatori looked as though he was in his own little world, staring down at the floor, Kagura's sock pulled over one hand.

Rin began slowly unlacing her shirt, and unhooking her bra. She dropped it to the floor, her hair concealing her torso. The she dramatically swept her hair back and posed. Shigure's jaw had dropped open and he was staring, his eyes bugged out. Ayame had one eyebrow arched and was nodding appreciatively. Hatori still hadn't noticed anything.

"I think that's enough, or Shigure's going to…umm…" Kagura said, red-faced.

Rin grinned and pulled her bra back on, and then her shirt. She didn't bother to re-lace it.

"My turn!" She said brightly. "Ayame. Truth or Dare?"

Ayame flipped his silvery tresses over his shoulder. "eh, truth."

"Have you ever had sex with…Hatori?"

"Nope!" replied Ayame cheerfully. "Alright, Rin, back at you. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever had sex with Haru?"

"I refuse to answer that."

"Then…Off with your shirt, Rin! I want to see how those laces work."

Rin pulled off her shirt and tossed it to him. Then she turned to Hatori. "Hatori, truth or dare?"

Hatori didn't reply immediately. Then he glanced at the sock on his hand, which he'd made into a sock puppet. The puppet replied in a high, squeaky voice "Truth." Hatori's lips didn't move at all. Rin blinked

"O…K… Hatori, have you ever had sex with anyone?"

"Yes." The sock puppet replied.

"What?" Rin exclaimed "Who?"

"It's not your tuuuuuuurn!" The sock puppet replied in a singsong voice. Hatori's expression remained completely stoic. "Lets seeeeeeee, I think…Akiko, truth or Dare?"

"Hatori, that's just creepy."

"Truth or dare?" repeated the puppet in a singsong voice.

"Looks like he fulfilled my dare." Ayame noted, amused.

"Truth" replied Akiko, a disturbed expression on her face.

"What colour are your panties?" The puppet asked.

"Pearly white. Embroidered. You saw them, remember? Hatori, truth or dare?"

"Truth" replied the puppet. Hatori remained as still as a statue.

"Who did you have sex with?"

Author's note:

HAH. A cliffy for as long as it takes your browser to load the next page! XD

enjoy


	13. Chapter Thirteen

'nother MARS ref in this chapter...once again, I don't own 'em.

CHAPTER 13

"Kana, who else?" replied the puppet derisively. "By the way, my name is Caroline."

Everyone simply stared at this announcement. Nobody commented, though, and the game progressed quickly. An hour later, Rin was down to her bra and underwear, Kagura had her bra and skirt (having lost her blouse, other sock and hair ribbon), Akiko had only lost one ankle sock, Shigure had borrowed a cushion from the couch, Hatori was in his pants and tie, and Ayame still had about three layers to remove before any skin would show. Shigure rubbed his hands together eagerly. It was time to start trying for real.

"Truth or dare, Akiko?" he asked maliciously.

"Dare." Said Akiko, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I dare you to kiss Hatori."

"WHAT? No way." She said, sounding disgusted. Ayame pouted at Shigure.

"Well, give me…your bra!"

"But my shirt is over it."

"So?"

Akiko walked out of the room, removed her bra and put her blouse back on. She walked back and tossed her bra at Shigure. It wrapped itself around his head. He grinned in a perverted manner, and clutched the bra. Akiko shuddered. "You can keep that."

"Yessss!" Shigure yelled, fondling the bra lovingly. (ewwwwww…)

Akiko shuddered again. "Rin, truth or dare?"

"Mm, dare."

"I dare you to kiss Shigure."

"Eewwww…hey, aren't we supposed to be brother and sister?"

"That's just a rumor," replied Akiko. "Just do it."

Rin eyed the bra-fondling Shigure with apprehension. "uh, no…"

"Your bra or your underwear, you choose." Said Akiko.

Rin considered for a second, then swept her long ebony hair over her shoulders, so that it covered her torso again. Then she quickly removed her bra, tossing it to Akiko. It landed near her. Akiko left it on the floor.

Rin grinned. "Ha-tori! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth" replied Caroline.

"Do you think Akiko is sexually appealing?"

Hatori blinked. It was the first time he'd shown any sort of facial expression in more than an hour. He hesitated.

"well?" prompted Rin impatiently.

"…My brain says no, but my body says yes." He replied in his normal voice.

Akiko glanced at him in the shocked silence that followed. He pulled the puppet off of his hand and set it next to the small pile of clothes behind him.

"Rin, truth or dare."

"Truth."She replied, starting to toss her hair over her shoulders before she realized that she didn't have anything on underneath it.

"Have you ever romantically kissed another woman, and if so, who?"

"ah…yes…and …" Rin blushed bright red. "…Harumi Sugihara. I don't think any of you know her."

"You're Bi, Rin?" Shigure asked.

Rin shrugged. "It was a dare."

"Oh," said Shigure.

"Well, my turn." Said Rin. "Akiko, truth or dare?"

Akiko sighed "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Hatori."

Akiko didn't say anything, just removed her other ankle sock and tossed it to Rin, who grinned as maliciously as she caught it.

"Truth or dare, Shigure?" Akiko said in an frosty tone. Evidently she had picked up on the plan.

"ah...truth." Shigure muttered, gazing at the floor.

"Is your editor a man or a woman?" She said, in that same frosty tone. Kagura and Rin just stared, not quite sure what this was about. Hatori was expressionless, as usual, and Ayame and Shigure both looked guilty.

"Mit-chan...is a woman." Mumbled Shigure, not making eye contact. The girls were slightly creeped out to see Akito's infamous evil grin spread across Akiko's face. Akito had been trying to find that out for years.

"A-ano...uh, Hatori! Truth or Dare?" Shigure asked, attempting to appear normal.

"Dare." said Hatori.

"I dare you to kiss Akiko." Shigure said. He intended to stick to the plan, regardless of the consequences.

Hatori removed his tie from his bare chest and tossed it at Shigure. Then he turned to Ayame. "Truth or Dare?"

"mmm...Truth!" exclaimed Ayame.

"Remember that science course I made you take twelve years ago?" Ayame nodded. "How did you manage to get a higher grade than me?"

"I did the teacher."

"...ah."

"Truth or Dare, Ha-san!"

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Akiko."

"Why the hell do you keep trying to make us kiss? No! Take my pants." Hatori removed them and flung them at Ayame.

"Rin, truth or dare?"

"Dare"

"Cut your hair."

Rin's panties hit Hatori in the face. "Nevar!" She proclaimed angrily, flaunting her nude body. Hatori looked away.

"Truth or Dare, Akiko?" Rin asked, flinging her hair over her shoulders and straightening her shoulders.

"Dare."

"Kiss Ha-"

"You aren't going to give up, are you people? Geez!" Akiko stalked over to Hatori, pulled his face down and mashed her lips against his.

"Happy now?" Akiko said, whirling and walking out of the room. Everyone heard her door slam. Hatori was still staring expressionlessly at the floor.

"I guess...the game's over." sighed Rin, picking up her clothing from the floor. "Who won?"

"Ayame." said Shigure. "he has the most clothing left."

"Oh, ok."

Just then, Hatori fell over in a dead faint. Kagura, Rin, Ayame and Shigure all stared.

"I guess he did too many out-of-character things. His system couldn't take it." mused Shigure. They all re-dressed in their appropriate clothing, and Shigure and Ayame dragged Hatori into his own room and dressed him in his nightshirt. They dumped his clothes in a corner of the room. Then the four conspirators left to formulate a new plan.

Hatori began to toss and turn in his sleep. Sweat beaded his brow, and he moved restlessly.

AUTHOR's NOTE:

HAH. I really hope y'all enjoyed that... R&R, and until next time...


	14. Chapter Fourteen

This...is a strange chapter. um, enjoy

CHAPTER 14

_Hatori was standing at the end of the aisle, watching anxiously as his veiled bride approached. Hatori studied the faces of the crowd, searching out all the members of the junishi. Akito didn't appear to be there, which struck Hatori as rather odd. He suddenly realized that his bride was standing beside him, and he lifted the veil back…revealing Akiko's face. He stumbled backward and tried to scream, but nothing came out. He grasped his throat frantically and sprinted back down the aisle, leaving Akiko sobbing in a heap at the altar. He pulled open the doors to the building, and bumped into Akito, who smiled sinisterly. The silence around Hatori was eerie; not a single member of the congregation was whispering, none of them had turned to watch his mad dash back down the aisle. _

_Then Akito spoke. _

_"Make sure she's happy." _

_Hatori's eyes widened and he whirled back to face the sobbing Akiko. She raised her head and stared at him with wet, accusing eyes. _

_Kana's eyes. Kana's face, her brownish hair framed by the white lace of the veil. Hatori whirled away and ran down the aisle, through the doors, out into the bright sunlight. _

_He blinked and found himself in another chapel. He was standing in the position of the preist, watching a bride draped in white lace approach. Akito, in a dark suit, stood to his left, evidently the groom. He had a wide, malicious grin on his face that no one else seemed to notice, except Yuki and Kyo, both of whom where sitting in the front row. As Akito's bride drew near, he leaned forward and lifted the lacy veil away from her face. It was Tohru, looking shocked, withdrawn and scared. Kyo and Yuki looked as though they were struggling to get up, trying tostop the wedding. Hatori stumbled backward, away from Akito and Tohru. Akito had his arms possesivly around her, and not in a romantic or protective way. His attitude toward her was one of a person towards a possestion that they didn't truly care about but wanted to flaunt. He would use her and discard her without a second glance, Hatori knew._

Akiko was sitting next to Hatori's futon, looking curiously at him as he tossed and turned. She hadn't been able to sleep, so she'd come into Hatori's room in the hopes that he'd be awake too. Instead, she's found him in the grasp of a nightmare. Hatori suddenly sat straight up and pointed an almost accusing finger directly at Akiko. Akiko started, taken aback. His blue eyes were wide open with no trace of sleep in them.

"Don't marry Tohru." he stated simply. He fell backward onto the futon, apparently still asleep.

_The dream dissolved around Hatori, and he seemed merely to be floating in a pink haze. Then a swirl started, a pink that faded to clear and then to something like a window. Hatori peered through, catching glimpses of what appeared to be another wedding. Akiko, in a wedding dress, being held by Ayame. Both were laughing maniacally, and everyone around them was cringing. Hatori could understand why. _

A few seconds passed as Akiko stared at Hatori's now-still form. She had just started to move slightly closer to Hatori again when he sat up.

"Or Ayame!" he said, his voice monotonous and firm. After he dropped back down onto the bed, Akiko simply shook her head and wandered from the room, into the kitchen.

Akiko pulled a tub of chocolate ice cream from the freezer, and a jar of pickled plums from a cupboard. It was around three in the morning, and she was hungry because she'd skipped dinner. Hatori, now awake due to the noise she'd made in the kitchen, got up and came into the room. Noting the plums and ice cream, he shuddered slightly and muttered "I thought only pregnant women ate weird things." He shook his head and turned to go back to his room. Akiko dropped the ice cream with a thunk. Her eyes were wide with panic.

She'd never really figured out what had happened that night when she got drunk. What if she was pregnant? She'd get Hatori to check.

Wait, if she was pregnant, he would be the father. She had the mental image of Hatori accidentally swallowing his cigarette, choking, and dying. She shuddered. If he was the father, she couldn't afford to have him die. Who could she go see? She mulled over the possibilities, starting to leave the room. Then she quickly turned and picked up the ice cream before she left.

That afternoon, she was sitting on the porch with Kagura and Rin, discussing her suspicions. Rin looked amused, while Kagura looked shocked. Akiko asked for suggestions.

"Well, we could check the phone book." Suggested Kagura hesitantly. Akiko shook her head. A possibility had just surfaced in her mind.

"Girls," She said. "It is time to see Hatori's old girlfriend."

Later that day...

Kana stepped back and pulled the mask from her face. "I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?"

"The good news," said Akiko immediately.

"You're not pregnant."

Akiko sighed and slumped back against the wall in relief. "And, the bad news?"

"You are extremely underweight. And, you're anemic."

"Oh, I already knew that. I had a full checkup a little while ago."

"I see." Kana smiled at them. "Well, would you three like a ride home? I have to talk to Hatori-san about something. You live near him, right?"

Akiko decided not to mention that she lived with him. "Yes, thank you."

Author's Note:

AsI said...a strange chapter. My muses have fled. R&R


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER 15

It was about six when they arrived at the main house. Hatori was on the porch, smoking a cigarette. Akiko, Rin, and Kagura sat down at the opposite end of the porch, leaving Kana to talk with Hatori. They were still well within listening distance, but Kana didn't realize that.

"Hello, Hatori-san." She said with a smile. Hatori stubbed out his cigarette.

"Hello, Kana-san." He replied. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, just to drop the girls home. Akiko wanted to check something, and I thought it would be nice to say drop the girls home and say hello."

"Akiko wanted to check something? What would that be?"

"Oh," Kana giggled. "She thought she might have been pregnant."

Had Hatori been holding anything, he would have dropped it. "P-pregnant? By whom?"

"Oh, she didn't say. Maybe you should ask her."

"No, thats all right. I'm not sure I want to know. If she had been...her brother would have been furious."

"Her brother?"

"He's the head of the family. Akito. I don't think you've met him." That wasn't quite true. The only time Kana and Akito had come face-to-face was when Hatori had asked to marry her. That had been wiped completely from Kana's memory.

Kana appeared not to have heard the last part. "He has blue-gray eyes, doesn't he? Not like Akiko. Her eyes are much darker. Almost black She has a cute nose, too. " Kana shivered. "Such angry eyes, he had. Scary."

Hatori fought hard to keep his expression steady. Akiko's eyes had widened, although Rin and Kagura hadn't noticed yet. Hatori blinked abruptly and said that he had to go.

"Oh, well, bye then." said Kana, heading back down the steps. By the time she'd reached her car, Rin and Kagura were on their way home and Hatori and Akiko were in the kitchen, staring wide-eyed at each other.

"IT CAN REVERSE?" They howled in perfect unison. Hatori was staring at his hands, not sure whether to be happy or furious or frightened. Akiko fell over in a dead faint. Onto Hatori, of course.

Akiko awoke first, a few hours later. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The kitchen was completely dark, and she could feel a piece of cloth under one of her legs. She stumbled to the wall and flipped the light switch, squinting through the sudden flood of light. Her eyes fell on Hatori's naked form and she quickly averted her gaze. Picking up his shirt, she tossed it over him, and stumbled to her room, leaving Hatori on the floor.

When Hatori woke up the next morning, he found himself on the kitchen floor, completely naked with his clothes scattered around him. He got up and dressed quickly. Akiko was sleeping in her room. Hatori shook his head at her and headed to his office. As far as he was concerned, this whole mess was her fault. He shivered slightly. Kana was married now. If she suddenly remembered, what would happen? He got back to work on researching the medicine. Suddenly, he remembered what Kana had said before she started talking about Akito. Who could have gotten Akiko pregnant?

After breakfast, Hatori cornered Akiko in the living room. "Akiko, I need to ask you some questions."

She looked up at him, lounging on the couch in one of Akito's kimonos. Hatori was starting to see them as seperate people. "Why would I answer them?"

"Because I am you doctor and I need to know." He replied promptly, lying through his teeth. He was curious more than anything else. Hatori nervously tapped his pencil against the pad of paper.

"Oh. All right."

"Uh...did you screw Kureno?" Hatori winced. He shouldn't have phased it like that.

"No." replied Akiko flatly.

"Shigure, Yuki?"

Akiko mumbled something that Hatori didn't catch.

"Pardon?"

"Not yet!" Akiko almost yelled, but she quickly regained control of herself. Hatori wasn't sure whether or not to laugh, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Do you remember anything about...that night?"

"You know very well I don't. You don't either."

Hatori winced. "Well, have you had sex with anyone?"

"Not your business."

"Akiko, I'm your doctor."

"I haven't within the last three months, good enough?"

Hatori widened his eyes in feigned, teasing surprise "Could it be? The reputed sex god Akito...a virgin!"

Akiko didn't explode, as Hatori would have expected. She giggled and threw a pillow at him. "Not as though you're any less of one," She said back snidely, apparently forgetting what Hatori had revealed when they were playing truth or dare. "Who said I was a sex god, anyway?"

"Shigure and Ayame," replied Hatori without hesitation.

They both stopped for a second and tried vainly to remember that night. They had no idea what had really happened and...

"Wait. You thought you were pregnant by me?" Hatori asked suddenly.

"Who else?" replied Akiko grumpily.

"Why didn't you ask me to check?"

"I was afraid you'd swallow your cigarette and die." She said, apparently miffed.

Hatori tried to think about that for a second, then shrugged and wandered out of the room.

Later that day, Rin and Kagura burst into the house where Hatori and Akito were having a glaring match (a.k.a.: dinner).

"We've got it!" Kagura announced. "Shigure, Ayame, Hatori, Kyo, Yuki, and the three of us are going on a trip for the weekend." Akiko switched her glare to Kagura. Kagura, though daunted, continued bravely. "We'll be going to the hot springs."

Akiko's glare slowly transformed into an evil smile. Yuki would be there. The hot springs. Oh, so many possibilities…

Hatori looked up from the ashtray. "I don't suppose I get any say in this?" Rin shook her head and leered at him menacingly.

So, the next day, the eight of them were on the private bus, heading for the hot springs. Upon arrival, Hatori quickly introduced Akiko to Okami as Akito's twin sister, forgetting that Okami had been at Akito's birth.

"But..I helped birth Akito. He had no twi-"

Hatori quickly interupted her. "Could you please show everyone to their rooms?" He asked, giving her a meaningful look. She appeared to get the message.

"This way," She said, smiling cheerfully. She shot Hatori a slightly confused glance after everyone except Ayame and Shigure had gone to their rooms.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about, Master Hatori?" She asked, smiling.

Hatori quickly explained about the medicine. Okami shook her head afterward. "I see. That makes some sense, although I find it hard to believe."

Shigure smiled. "It's true. If you'll excuse us, we'd like to relax a little bit before dinner." Okami smiled graciously and bowed, while they quickly went to their room. Akiko had a room to herself, of course. Kagura and Rin were sharing, as were Yuki and Kyo.

Rin and Kagura had mentioned to Akiko that they were going to take a dip in the hot spring before dinner. The boys were evidently doing the same. She quickly unpacked her things, and pulled on one of her yukata's; The ones that she'd worn as Akito. Slipping through the doors, she dropped her yukata on a bench and wrapped a flimsy white towel around herself. She stepped out and was about to drop her towel when she noticed Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, Yuki and Kyo staring at her.

She'd walked into the men's baths out of habit.

Clutching the towel more tightly around her, she backed out of the room and then turned and ran.

Once she'd gone through the doors to the womens baths, she dropped the towel and flung herself face-first into the water. Rin and Kagura pulled her up.

"What's wrong, Akiko?" Rin demanded.

"She just walked in here. By accident, I think." said Shigure called from the other side of the bamboo fence. Kagura and Rin stared at her and she nodded miserably.

"I'm not used to seperate parts of the spring. There were only women at the convent. " She muttered miseraberably, sinking into the water. Shigure and Ayame exchanged amused looks, while Hatori just looked bland, as usual. Just then, Okami called to everyone, saying that dinner would soon be ready. Everyone climbed out of the tubs to get dressed and eat. By the time they finished eating, it was late so everyone decided to go to bed.

Author's Note:

Lameish ending. (sighs) Ah, well. Just one more note: I really, really really appreciate all the reviews, but there is something that irritates me. For those of you who don't already know the spoiler relating to Akito and don't want to know, please feel free to skip the rest of this.  
Those of you that do know; PLEASE STOP TRYING TO INFORM ME OF THE TRUTH THAT I ALREADY KNOW. I knew the truth about Akito beforeI started posting this fic; I try to keep up to date with the release of the chapters in japanese. >. I realize that this may be unreasonable but every timeI get a review pointing out that Akito really is a woman, I get that much closer to just deleting this fic and forgetting about this whole thing. It's really disheartening. Also, if I **hadn't** known the spoiler, it would have spoiled it for me. So please, people- even ifwe authorsaren't consistant with the Manga, this is fanfiction. Emphasis on the _fiction_. Not every little detail has to be consistant with the actual anime.

Thanks for all the reviews,

Lady Literature


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Enjoy...

CHAPTER 16

The next morning, Akiko was awake before everyone else, so she decided to take another dip in the hot spring before breakfast. She quietly slipped into the water. Relaxing, she leaned against the bamboo fence. 'My favorite rock,' she thought contentedly. Suddenly, she realized that she'd come into the mens again. 'Well, that's ok. No one saw this time.' She thought, starting to rise.

Kyo suddenly appeared by the edge of the spring, and she quickly let herself sink back down. Giving him her best 'Akito smile', she deepened her voice slightly and said "Good morning, Kyo."

Kyo jumped, startled; he hadn't expected anyone to be in the spring this early. "A-akito-san?"

She nodded, crossing her arms and hoping he wouldn't look too closely at her face. Or at her body, for that matter. This didn't seem to be a problem; Kyo was looking anywhere except Akito. Akiko. Whatever.

"I wished to take a trip to the hot springs. I was quite surprised to find all of you here. I trust you've met my sister?"

Kyo nodded mutely, not seeming to notice anything. Akiko suddenly became aware that Hatori was standing behind Kyo, looking slightly confused.

"Ah, Hatori!" said Akiko in a lower-pitched voice. "Join us, please." If she had been male, that was what she would have said. And since Kyo thought she was Akito, it would be best to act like him. Suddenly, they heard Kagura's voice.

"Kyoooo-kuuun...where are you?"

Kyo was gone like a shot; there were barely even ripples in the water. Hatori and Akiko were left there alone, together. Neither seemed to know what to say.

Okami suddenly called for breakfast. Hatori and Akiko rose at the same time. They stared at each other. Hatori turned away first. Akiko grabbed the first towel she could find. Which, of course, was Hatori's. She took off for her own room quickly. Since Kyo had taken Akiko's towel as well as his own, there was a slight problem. Hatori didn't have one. He sat back down to wait for someone to come along.

Later that day, Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame were in the hot spring. Kyo was hiding somewhere, and Kagura was loking for him. Rin...well, she was locked in her and Kagura's room, evidently sleeping.

Akiko was lying in her own room, usually Akito's, reading. She was lying on her stomache, streched out on her futon, when she realized Yuki was in the doorway. "ah, Yuki," She said in her 'Akito' voice. "She patted the edge of the futon next to her. "sit." Yuki obeyed without a sound. Akiko continued reading. She was wearing Akito's yukata again. Hatori appeared in the doorway.

"Aki-"

"Hatori." She nodded to Yuki and he left, as silently and meekly as he'd come.

"I'd like to talk to you after lunch, in the games room." he said flatly.

"Ok," was her simply reply. He sighed, leaving her to read.

Later, Hatori stood waiting for Akiko in the empty game room. He wanted to talk to her about the way she had come into the mens' baths, twice now. He realized that he shouldn't scold her, but he wanted to know why she would do that. Akiko did have an amazing memory, so she doubted that he had actually forgotten.

Akiko appeared, wearing the yukata, her hair still hanging damply around her face. "Yes, Ha-San?" She asked innocently.

Hatori took a deep breath, staring at her face. He started to say something, but stopped, completely forgetting what he had been about to say. He closed his eyes.

Before he realized what he was doing, his lips brushed lightly against hers. He froze for a moment, then jerked back, turned, and ran. A banging sound was heard from down the hallway.

Akiko stood rooted to the spot, staring at where Hatori had been moments earlier. One hand came up involuntarily and touched her lip. A few minutes later, Rin and Kagura came in and found her frozen in this position.

Kagura waved a hand into front of her face and suddenly realized what must have happened. "Oh my God! He kissed you, didn't he?"

Akiko nodded, dazed. Then she snapped out of it. "And he just ran away! The bastard, how could he?"

"Do you want us to…arrange some alone time?" said Rin, cracking her knuckles.

Akiko nodded. "Please." She said maliciously.

Shigure and Ayame found Hatori banging his head furiously against the wall. It took both of them to haul him away and into his room.

"What happened Ha-san?" Ayame asked. In answer, Hatori sat up, faced the wall and started banging his head again.

"Let me guess." Said Shigure after they got him under control again. "You definitely regret it. And it has something to do with Akiko."

Ayame gave Shigure a look and then said to Hatori "You kissed her, didn't you?"

Hatori's eyes were wide with panic, and he plastered his hand over his eyes.

"Hatori don't use your power on yourself!" Shigure exclaimed, prying his hand away just in time. "Don't you remember the last time you did that?"

Hatori looked blank. "No."

Shigure shook his head, and said "Well, of course not. Let me tell you, it was bad. Just…take my word on it."

"I don't remem-" began Ayame. Shigure just shook his head warningly and winked.

Just then Rin came to the door and asked to talk to Shigure. Some whispered conversation went on, evidently concerning Akiko and Hatori. Shigure nodded and getsured for Ayame to come nearer.

Hatori blocked everything out of his mind.'I did not just kiss Akiko. I did not jut kiss Akiko.' he thought franctically. 'This is all a horrible nightmare. I'll wake up, and everything will be normal. There wasn't a mess up with the medicine and Akito is still male. I am entirely sane.'

Shigure and Ayame left the doorway. Rin had evidently said what she wanted to say. "We'll be back in a second Ha-san." said Ayame cheerfully. "Just going to get some food. Hatori nodded blankly. He was staring at the wall, completely expressionless.

Authors Note:

I thought I made is amply clear last time that this IS an AU (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!) fic...meaning truths in the manga don't apply here. And that spoilers are unecessary and somewhat insulting. (sighs) on the plus side,I appreciate the reviews containing death threats if I deleted this :P heh hugs all

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review please! (shameless...I know...)


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Well. Sorry I haven't updated for so long. I'll explain why later, read and enjoy!

CHAPTER 17

Ayame and Shigure had taken up guard postions outside the door. Kagura and Rin escorted Akiko down the hallway. Akiko went into the room and Rin and Kagura quickly ran around to 'guard' the windows. They really just wanted to spy on what happened. Fortunately, Akiko had the foresight to close the curtains. Hatori was still staring blankly at the wall. Akiko stared at the back of his head for a few seconds, wondering why he didn't say anything. "Hatori?" She said.

"...a dream..." He mumbled.

"Hatori, are you all right?" Akiko demanded.

He stood up and spun to face her. "Of course not!" He laughed aloud "This is all a nightmare. I'm just asleep!"

"H...Hatori?" Akiko stammered. He NEVER laughed. At least, not in her memory.

"Yes?" He appeared to have turned back into his old self. She sighed with relief.

"Are you feeling all right?" She asked.

Hatori didn't reply.

"Why are you acting like this? Honestly, you've been acting so strange that if it was anyone else, I'd of thought you've gone insane!"

"Me? Insane?"

"The bloody sock puppet! You just laughed! And you kissed me. What is with you?"

Hatori blinked and didn't reply. Akiko sank down in a chair and sighed. "Seriously, is something wrong?"

"I...don't know. The sock puppet..." He smiled slightly. "It just seemed like a funny idea at the time. And, this is all a dream. I can do whatever I want."

"Hatori, this isn't a dream."

"Isn't it? There's no way this could happen in real life."

"Right. You turn into a seahorse when a girl hugs you in real life and you can't believe that I can turn into a girl because of some screwed up magical medicine?"

Hatori frowned. "You do have a point. But, if this isn't a dream..." He blushed suddenly.

Akiko grinned. "Yes, everything actually happened."

Hatori sat down. "So I suppose you're going to claw my eyes out. I'd like to take this oppurtunity to apologize."

Akiko's smile disappeared. "And what are you apologizing for, exactly?"

"Well...that fight we had a little while ago was mostly my fault. I shouldn't have said what I did."

"That was my fault, too."

"And for making you think I was crazy."

Akiko raised her eyebrows.

"And..." He swallowed. "for kissing you."

Akiko tilted her head slightly. "Why did you kiss me, anyway?" She asked.

Hatori shrugged. "I didn't really mean to. I...wasn't thinking."

"Whatever." Akiko said diffidently. Hatori sighed and looked away. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Akiko suddenly started giggling. "When did you convince yourself this was all a dream?" She asked between giggles.

Hatori sighed. "About fifteen minutes ago," He admitted.

Akiko stopped giggling. "So," she asked "You didn't think you were dreaming when you kissed me?"

"No," Hatori replied. "May I ask where this line of conversation is going?"

Akiko smiled again, but it was her old smile, Akito's smile. "No."

"Well...?"

"My brain is hating you right now, Hatori." She said suddenly.

"What?...just your brain?" Hatori was confused.

"Yeah. My body is wanting you."

"This is definitely a dream."

Akiko sighed in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you this isn't a bloody dream?"

"At least one more."

"THIS ISN'T A BLOODY DREAM!" Akiko yelled, jumping to her feet.

"Calm down, Akiko. I know this isn't a dream, I'm just joking."

Akiko sank back down into her chair. "You really have gone crazy," she muttered.

"No, joking is my way of dealing when I don't know what else to do. Which does not happen often, let me assure you."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll go, then." She said, rising to her feet again.

Hatori stood too, and nodded at her. She walked toward the door, but stopped just short of it and turned, a devious smile on her face. "Oh," She said. "I forgot something." She walked back slowly until she stood directly in front of Hatori.

'She's definitely going to claw my eyes out,' thought Hatori despondantly. He didn't move, just braced himself.

She reached upward and grabbed his face, pulling him down and kissing him hard on the lips. To her surprise, Hatori closed his eyes and kissed back. After a minute, she let go of his face. "There," She said. "Now we're even." She turned and walked toward the door.

"Wait," said Hatori, half to himself. Akiko turned and looked at him questioningly.He raised his head. "We're not even. I didn't kiss you like that."

Akiko looked surprised. She evidently hadn't expected Hatori to say that. "Well, what do you want to do about it?" She asked, genuinly puzzled.

Hatori suprised himself by walking towards her, tipping her face up and kissing her again, the same way she'd kissed him moments earlier. He let go and she stumbled back a few steps, surprised. She composed herself slightly. "But we're still not even, then. You've kissed me twice." Hatori raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled at him, standing on the tips of her toes and brushing her lips against his. Then she pulled back and frowned. "Forget pretense. I'm bored. You wanna keep kissing?"

Hatori frowned. She did look bored, but... his body wasn't about to let him pass this up. He backed her against the wall. She tilted her face up and closed her eyes.

An hour later, Kagura and Rin had abandoned their guard positions at the windows. The two of them, Shigure and Ayame were sitting outside the room, playing poker. Okami poked her head out of a room and announced that dinner was ready.

"We'll be there soon," called Shigure. He turned back to the others. "What are they doing in there?"

Ayame shrugged."Think they've killed each other?"

"Let's just open the door and announce that dinner's ready." Suggested Kagura. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ayame flung the door open. "Dinner's read-" He stopped mid-sentence and gaped at the scene before him. Rin and Shigure high-fived.

Hatori and Akiko quickly broke apart and glared at the group before them. Akiko stood, straightening her clothes. She switched her glare to Hatori. "This didn't mean _anything. _Got it?" She stormed out of the room. Everyone gave her a wide berth. Hatori sighed and stood.

"So, what's for dinner?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you enjoyed that...spoilerwarning.-.-

As for whyI didn't update for so long, sorry. I got another of those "I didn't read your story, but Akito IS a girl" reviews. It pissed me off...sorry, again. "sighs"...

well, next chappie coming soon, I hope. Seeya


	18. Chapter Eighteen

WELCOME! ENJOY YOUR STAY!

CHAPTER 18

When Hatori returned from the hot springs, Akiko was still refusing to speak to him or anyone else unless it was absolutely nessecary. All she did was sulk in her room. Hatori wished he could cheer her up, but between researching the medicine and preparing his presentation for a doctor's convention, he didn't have much time. He'd asked Ayame and Shigure to do something if they could, and well...Hatori didn't know quite how he had wrangled it, but Ayame had managed to convince Akiko to come to the Doctor's convention with him- as his date. They'd promised she'd look the part too. Hatori sighed, and glanced at his watch.It was an overnight convention, and if they didn't leave in five minutes, they'd miss the train. He didn't really want to take Akiko with him, but he wasn't about to leave her in Shigure's care and it was better than having random drunk women throwing themselves at him. "Akiko! We're going to miss the train!" he called down the hallway.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back. She appeared a few seconds later, lugging a huge suitcase full of clothes. She was wearing denim hot pants, high-heeled sandals and a mens sweatshirt, one of Kyo's. Hatori wasn't sure how she'd gotten hold of it, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. He did know that the first night was a formal dinner and that 'jeans' and a sweatshirt would not do. Akiko noted his look.

"I'll change when we get there. We're checking in first, right?" She said. Hatori nodded. They managed to catch the train in time and the trip was uneventful. The first mishap occured when they went to check into their rooms."Ah, Sohma Hatori and Akiko. This way to your room."

Hatori blinked. Akiko came right out and asked "Room? not 'rooms'?"

"Uh...yes...you see, we assumed, since you were Hatori-san's guest and you share the same name...you are married, right?"

"No!" snapped Akiko. The receptionist looked startled.

"Oh, I apologize. Let me see...oh, dear, I'm afraid we have no more vacent rooms. You don't mind sharing, do you?"

Akiko sighed. " I guess not. Please show us the way." She said, smiling a very fake and angry smile.

A few minutes later, Hatori was sitting on the bed waiting for Akiko to finish dressing. Dinner was due to start in about half an hour, and he knew Akiko would take forever, so he pulled out a book and started reading.

Akiko was in the bathroom, examining her reflection in the mirror. She was currently standing in her underwear and bra, doing her makeup. Rin had shown her how to get different effects by blending colours and such. She decided to go for an 'innocently alluring' look, so she applied some subtle blended shades of gray to make her eyes look bigger. She put a hint of blush on her cheeks, accenting her high cheekbones and a glossy pink lipgloss. Then she slipped into the dress Ayame and Rin had chosen for her to wear. After checking her reflection, she realized two things. The 'innocently alluring' look was the only thing the made her look like she wasn't a whore, and her bra was showing. A lot. Grumbling, she decided to ditch the bra. The dress she was wearing was the one she didn't want at Ayame's, but he had altered it slightly. It was a perfect fit, and it had a thin strap of black ribbon that looped around her neck, hopefully preventing any accidents, such as her dress falling down and leaving her nude to the waist. She was wearing smooth black stockings, the strappy dress shoes, and a small black purse. After a bit of fussing with her hair (she just pulled her longer bangs back with a couple of clips) she decided to check out her jewelry. she found the black choker that she had gotted from Rin, and a diamond pin that she pinned onto it, as well as a diamond braclet that had been her mothers'. She checked out her reflection again, and almost decided to start over, but decided to just darken the eyemakeup a bit. Then she went out to meet Hatori.

Hatori, of course was wearing a suit. He was reading when Akiko came out and cleared her throat, striking a pose. Hatori looked up and his jaw dropped. After a second he closed his mouth and offered her his arm. She smiled coyly and took it, and they walked down to the banquet hall.

Kana was also at the convention, without her husband. She was wandering around with Mayu, talking with people and just relaxing. They both stiffened when Hatori and Akiko entered the room.

"Where did he find _that_?" exclaimed Kana, her eyes narrowing. "For some reason, I feel...irrationally jealous..."

Mayu was speechless.

"Hey, wait...that's Akiko! The head of the family's twin sister! How...?why...?I don't understand." Kana mumbled.

Mayu reached out to stop Kana from doing anything stupid, but she was too late. Kana was already marching over to confront Hatori, not realizing what she was doing.

She planted herself directly in front of them. "Hello, Hatori." She said coldly.

"Kana!" Hatori tried to pull away from Akiko, but she was holding onto his arm tightly, with wide eyes.

Akiko leaned over and whispered in his ear. "She's jealous! Do you think she remembers? Where's her husband?"

Hatori leaned over and whispered back. "I don't know. It doesn't matter, ok?"

Kana cleared her throat significantly.

Hatori raised his head suddenly. "I apologize, Kana. Nice to see you. How are you?"

Kana raised her eyebrows. "I'm doing well, I suppose. If I may ask, when did you two..?"

Hatori and Akiko glanced at each other, and grinned. "We're not really dating, if that's what you mean."

"Oh? Then why...?"

Hatori smiled and lied through his teeth. "She's under my care as long as she's at the main house. I didn't want to leave her alone at home while I came here, so I brought her."

Kana laughed. "She doesn't seem too troublesome." She was oddly relieved. "And I suppose that having her around would prevent the curse from being revealed."

Hatori and Akiko's breath caught in the same moment. "Wha-what do you mean?" Stammered Akiko.

"I don't know," She replied, puzzled. "I...don't understand why I said that, it makes no sense... One too many drinks, I guess. Well, Bye!" She wandered off, with Mayu.

Hatori and Akiko glanced at each other. "So she doesn't remember anything." said Hatori, trying not to sound too relieved. Or too disappointed.

Akiko smiled. "I hope not. Let's go get something to eat." With that, they wandered off.

Akiko'd gone back to the rooms early because she had no intrest in the presentations. She arrived and changed into her pajamas, before she realized that there was only one bed. She shrugged and climbed in. Hatori would figure it out.

Later that night, Hatori came back to the room. He changed quickly into his pajamas, eager to sleep. The presentation had gone fairly well, taking into account the fact that half of the patrons were too drunk to know what was going on.

He suddenly realized that there was only one bed. Akiko was lying on one side, alseep. Hatori shrugged and got into the other side of the bed. Akiko would live. It wasn't as though they'd never woken up in the same bed before.

The next morning, Hatori awoke first. He quickly got out of bed and changed, grateful that Akiko hadn't woken first and made a scene. Their train left at about two thirty, which meant they had most of the morning to do as they pleased. Akiko woke up soon after Hatori. They decided to go out for breakfast since they were both up so early. Akiko went into the bathroom to get dressed.

"Uh, Hatori?" She called a few minutes later. "Can I borrow one of your shirts?"

"Why?" Hatori called back. Akiko sighed and walked out of the bathroom in a knee-length black skirt and her bra.

"Rin chose my clothes, and I don't feel like wearing something strappy and lace-up." Akiko said.

Hatori turned his back on her and went to his suitcase. He pulled out a white shirt and tossed it to her over his shoulder.

"Thanks," she called, walking back into the bathroom. She pulled on a tight black tube top that didn't quite reach the waistband of her skirt and then pulled Hatori's shirt over it. She considered putting on makeup, but decided to just put on some lipgloss. The only shoes she had were the same ones she'd worn last night, but they matched well enough. She toyed with her hair for a few minutes before she realized that it had actually grown enough in the past month to tie it back in a ponytail. She decided to wear it like that, since it was practical and looked good.

She stepped out of the bathroom and posed for Hatori. "How do I look?" She asked.

Hatori studied her thoughtfully. "Nice, but you need some accessories."

Akiko barely managed to keep herself from gaping in surprise; Hatori had never made any suggestions before. It was a good suggestion, though. The fact that she wasn't wearing any jewelry or anything did seem odd. She found herself eyeing Hatori's belt. It had a silver buckle and looked pretty ambiguous, the perfect touch.

"Hatori, give me your belt."

"What? Why?"

"Because I want to wear it."

"If my pants fall down, it's your fault." Hatori said, unbuckling it. He pulled off and handed it to her. She buckled it around her own waist, the smallest setting being only slightly too big so it rode low on her hips. Frowning thoughtfully, she slid one side higher, so that it was on an angle.

"Perfect." She said, smiling at Hatori. He smiled back wryly and checked his pants. They were, of course, a perfect fit, so they wouldn't actually fall down. He offered his arm to Akiko. "Shall we?"

Akiko took his arm. They sauntered outside to hail a taxi.

Authors Note:

Hm. I think this is gettinga little bit boring. Meh. Read and Review...and all...hugs


	19. Chapter Nineteen

I've realized at this point, there is NO timeline. So whenI say that Akiko has been suspended for two weeks,I mean she's not in school until I feel like writing another scene where she is :P

Anyway, sorry for the delay...exams and all. enjoy this installment of Akiko!

CHAPTER 19

After they had breakfast, Akiko insisted they go shopping. Hatori didn't really protest. After wandering through shops for about an hour, they happened upon a little jewelry shop. Hatori noticed Akiko eyeing a gorgeous diamond pendant on a white gold chain almost longingly, but she pulled herself away and examined the racks of silver on the other side of the shop.

"Pretty girl you got there," Said the shopkeeper in a low voice. "You should be careful with her."

"Oh, she's not my..." Hatori trailed off. "How much is that necklace?" he asked, pointing to the one that Akiko had been eyeing.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "And you say she's not your girl?" When Hatori heard the price, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He reached for his wallet. Akiko hadn't noticed anything. A few minutes later, the transaction was made, and the little jewelry box was tucked away in one of Hatori's pockets. Akiko was calling for Hatori to come and see something.

"Look!" she exclaimed, holding out a little pewter pendant for him to see. It was shaped like a seahorse, and looked exactly like Hatori in his junishi form. She smiled playfully and turned to the shopkeeper. "How much is this pendant?" She asked.

"400 yen," He replied with a smile. Akiko pulled her wallet out of her little purse and handed the money to the shopkeeper. "Do you want that in a bag?" He asked.

"No thanks," She replied. Her smile grew wider as she turned to Hatori. "Give my your key ring."

Puzzled, Hatori handed it over. She smiled and handed it back a few seconds later. She'd put the seahorse on the key ring. Hatori smiled and shook his head. "It is cute." he said, putting it back in his pocket. They walked leisurely out of the shop and stopped to get some crepes. Akiko nibbled on her strawberry crepe slowly, sitting on a bench in a park they came across. Hatori had already finished his. He fished into his pocket and pulled out the jewelry box. He glanced at Akiko out of the corner of his eye, noting that she was still engrossed in her crepe. He quietly took the delicate chain out of the box, and stood quietly. Akiko didn't notice. He walked around the bench and stood behind her, just as she crumpled the wrapper of her crepe. He unfastened the chain and held the chain around her neck. She twitched slightly, not realizing what Hatori was doing. He fastened the chain around her neck.

"Hatori, wha-?"She picked up the diamond on the chain, her eyes widening. "You didn't..."

Hatori smiled slightly. "Happy birthday." Akiko choked slightly. She dropped the chain, whirled around and almost flung herself over the back of the bench.

"Thank you!" She squealed, hugging Hatori tightly.

PYON!

"Ahh! Hatori, I'm so sorry! I forgot!" Akiko wailed, hanging over the back of the bench and staring down and the pile of Hatori's clothes.

"You sound like Tohru." said Hatori with a hint of amusment in his voice. Akiko had been acting a lot more like a girl recently…and he was really starting to think of her as a girl as well. He had just bought her a necklace, after all. Akiko walked around the bench and picked him and his clothes up. She touched the necklace gently, hugging the seahorse.

"Thank you, Hatori. You really shouldn't have."

"But I did. Happy Birthday, again."

"How did you know that today was my birthday?" Asked Akiko, who was starting to walk back towards the hotel.

"I'm a doctor. I have access to all of your medical records." If he'd been in human form he would have been smiling. "I checked a few months ago...and I

realized I'd never given you a birthday present. So..."

Akiko opened the door to her room, smiling. "Well, thank you. Actually...No one has ever given me a birthday present before."

"You're joking." said Hatori, his disbelief evident in his voice.

PYON!

Akiko tossed Hatori a towel."I'm not." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you again."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Hatori quickly got out of sight of the door. Akiko tossed his clothes at him and answered the door. It was Kana.

"Ah...Hello. I just wanted to talk to Hatori-san. Is he here?"

"Yes, he is," replied Akiko politely. She leaned back and glanced around the corner. "Hatori, are you finished dressing?"

"Almost," he called back. A few seconds later, he walked to the door, his shirt crinkled and half undone and his hair messed up. His tie was draped around his neck. "Oh! Kana." He said, quickly doing up his shirt and straightening his clothes.

"H...Hatori..." Kana replied, looking vaugely shocked. "I just...wanted to talk to you... about your presentation. Ah...would you like to have lunch with me? both of you?"

"Ah-"

"Certainly," Akiko cut in smoothly, smiling. "That's ok, right Hatori? It's nice to be with a familiar face for a while."

Hatori smiled, hiding his wish to flee from both of them. "That's a wonderful idea. We would be happy to join you." Akiko picked up her purse and the three of them went down to the hotel's dining room. They were seated quickly.

After they had ordered, Hatori quickly excused himself to go to the washroom. In truth, he just didn't feel like making conversation. He had no idea how much of a mistake it was to leave the two women alone.

"I didn't know you were sharing a room." Kana said, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Oh, that was a mistake. The hotel staff assumed we were married because we share the same name and I'm a guest of his." Akiko dissmissed the topic with a wave of her hand. "It's not that bad."

Kana nodded stiffly. "Uh...that's an interesting outfit."

Akiko smiled, slightly meanacingly. "It's mostly Hatori's, actually. The shirt and the belt are his."

Kana nodded stiffly again. She kept silent this time, looking around for a topic of conversation that did not involve Hatori. A sparkle caught her eye.

"Wow! What a pretty necklace. Is it real?" Kana exclaimed genuinely.

Akiko smiled dreamily and touched it lightly. "Yes, Hatori gave it to me this morning. For my birthday."

"Oh, uh...Happy Birthday."

They sat in silence after that, until their food came. Hatori arrived few seconds later. "Did I miss anything?" He asked lightly.

Silence.

"I take it you two don't have much in common?"

Silence again.

"Umm...I'm sorry, Kana, didn't you want to talk to me about my presentation?"

"It's not important," Kana mumbled around a mouthful of food.

The silence continued.

"I'm really getting tired of this awkward silence." said Hatori in a desperate effort to make conversation.

"Why are you so interested in whether Hatori and I are dating, anyway?" asked Akiko suddenly. Kana sputtered indignantly.

"I beg your pardon? I...what are you talking about?"

Akiko tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Kana. "You seem awfully interested. You asked about it last night, and you asked about it a few minutes ago."

"Akiko, that's enough." Hatori said firmly, giving her a look. Akiko subsided sulkily. "I apologize for her rudeness, Kana."

"That's all right," Kana said coldly. "I should be leaving now, anyway. I'm on the earlier train."

Hatori nodded to her. "I'll talk to you later."

Kana nodded coolly back and walked off. Akiko sat in silence for a minute.

"We should go and prepare to leave." She said. Hatori nodded and they returned to the room to pack up. Akiko was completely silent while they were packing, and on the enitre train ride home. Hatori had brought a book, but Akiko just stared out the window, toying with her necklace.

Hatori was exhausted when they got home, but Akiko said she wanted to talk to him. She was wearing one of her old kimonos again. Hatori was sprawled out on a couch, but she was standing, staring at the floor. She raised her head slowly and looked him in the eye.

"You still love her, don't you?" She said softly, completely expressionless. Hatori sat up suddenly.

"I...I don't know." He replied.

"She still cares about you, even though she doesn't remember anything." said Akiko. There was definitely a note of bitterness in her voice now.

"Why do you care?" said Hatori suddenly, defensively. Akiko didn't say anything. She simply sighed slowly and turned away.

"You have to forget about her, Hatori. She's married now, and even if...even if she still cares about you, you can't be together."

"Don't you think I know that?" said Hatori angrily.

"I'm just trying to help, you idiot!" Akiko cried, whirling around to face him. Hatori was shocked to see tears in her eyes. One of them trickled down her cheek, but she didn't appear to notice. "I'm sorry, ok? I don't ...I don't know what to say. I..." She turned and ran from the room.

Hatori followed her. He didn't know why, but he felt as though it was his fault. "Akiko?"

She was sitting on her futon, staring at the floor. "Damn," she muttered under her breath.

"Akiko," said Hatori from the doorway. "I..." he sighed and walked in front of her. She slowly raised her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry." They said in unison. They both laughed. Hatori held out his hand.

"Friends?" He asked. Akiko smiled slightly and shook his hand, western-style. "Well, now that's settled, it's time for bed." Hatori stretched.

"Mmm. I'll see you in the morning." Akiko said, sprawling lazily back over her bed.

"Oh, Akiko, remember that you have school in the morning." called Hatori over his shoulder. Akiko just nodded sleepily.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A rather sappyish chapter. they're all out of character andI don't really are :P...anyway review, now that you have read! hugs for all!


	20. Chapter Twenty

**ENJOY!**

CHAPTER 20

The next day, Akiko was up and ready for school, on time. Hatori drove her there without incident. The day of staring at Yuki passed quickly.

After school, Akiko waited in front of the school for Hatori to pick her up. He'd never been late before; he was usually there before school even let out. She barely noticed the group of guys that were eyeing her until a few of them began to walk over. They reached her and stood around nervously for a second. Then one of them began to introduce himself. 'Shit.' She thought.

"I'm-" He was cut off by Hatori's arrival.

"Ha'ri!" Akiko exclaimed. She ran a few steps toward him and grabbed his face, pulling it down and kissing him firmly on the lips. When she let go, he reeled, amazed; he hadn't been expecting it. Akiko grabbed one of his hands in her own, threading her fingers through his. She glanced back over her shoulder and shot a 'sorry, I'm taken' look at the boys. Then she saw who was standing on the school steps behind them. The smile became pasted on and totally fake. 'Shit! Why now?' she thought, dragging Hatori, who was half-unconcious,back toward the car.

Yuki, Tohru, Kyo, Haru, and Momiji stood staring in shock as the "twin sister" of the head of the family kissed Hatori.

Kyo laughed. "That looked just like the rat in a skirt with darker hair, kissing Hatori!" Yuki glared

"No," Haru replied in his customary slow fashion "It looked exactly like Akito-San in a skirt, kissing Hatori."

Yuki, Kyo, Haru, and Momiji glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Tohru just smiled uncertainly.

Later on, at Rin's house...

Rin burst out laughing. Akiko had just told her what had happened that afternoon.

"It would have been so good if Yuki hadn't been there!" Howled Rin wildly. Kagura laughed too. Akiko glowered.

"It isn't fair." She wailed. "My life sucks so much." She slumped on the bed, looking hurt.

Kagura patted her sympathetically on the shoulder. "It's ok. It's not like you had a chance with Yuki anyway." Akiko gave her the full-blast Akito glare. Kagura affected not to notice. "I mean, after what your twin did to him…" she shook her head. "I don't know."

Akiko reflected on this for an instant. Then she burst into tears.

'I still have a chance.' Akiko tried to convince herself later, lying in her room. 'After all, he doesn't know who I really am.' She sighed and rolled over, thinking of Yuki. She fell asleep, dreaming of him. But the last conscious image she remembered was someone with vivid blue eyes.

The next morning, Akiko didn't get up. She lay in bed until about noon. Hatori was getting slightly worried. Was she sick? It wasn't like her to miss breakfast, at least not on a school day. He decided to take her some food. He assembled some snacks on a tray, and then knocked on her door.

"Come in." Akiko called miserably. Hatori opened the door, carrying the tray of snacks.

"Here." He said simply, setting the tray down.

"Oh, thanks." Akiko replied, blushing. Hatori smiled slightly and left the room. She sat up and picked up her notebook, several pages of which were already covered with hearts. She flipped to a new page and began to draw Yuki.

Later on, Hatori came to check in on her again. He noticed that she hadn't actually eaten anything, but had fallen asleep again. A notebook rested on the pillow near her head. Hatori shook his head. He moved the notebook off of the futon, and gently pulled the covers back over Akiko. Then he got up and left the room.

When Akiko woke a while later, she somehow felt…different. She didn't know how. Sort of happy and sad at the same time. Shrugging, she reached for her notebook-and realized that it wasn't on the pillow where she'd left it. She sat up suddenly, frantically looking for it, and spotted it on the floor beside her bed. She also realized that she was covered. Hatori must have come in. Panic shot through her again. What if Hatori had read the notebook? For some reason, she was frantic. She didn't know why she should care so much, but she did. She called Hatori.

A few seconds later, Hatori came to her door. "Yes?" he said.

"Um, Ha-San, did you read my notebook?"

Hatori blinked at her. "No."

"Oh." She tried not to show her relief. "Thank you."

Hatori nodded at her. "You should eat," he said over his shoulder before he left.

Akiko nodded and grabbed a cracker as he closed the door. She nibbled on it, feeling dreamy. Then suddenly, she sat up.

"Wait a second." She said aloud. "I didn't see Yuki, he isn't anywhere around here. Then why…" It slowly came to her. It wasn't Yuki she liked at all! Her crush had shifted. Akiko slumped backward with a groan. She felt like crying. Damn these girlish impulses. Pushing aside the food tray, she crawled under the covers of her futon and fell asleep.

Hatori had finally managed to make a cure for Akiko. He mixed the contents and poured the counteractive formula into a small teacup, which he left in the kitchen. It needed to sit for a few minutes. In the meantime, he went back to his office.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

nothing really happens in this chapter, eh?..heh. once again, sappyish, kinda stupid, and well...yeah.

WELL,I hope you guys enjoy.. I feel so loved :P thanks for all the great reviews.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

400 yen is about $4.00 canadian. which is about $3.20 US. I don't know what it is in Euro or whatever.

This chapter is dedicated to Casi and the Elf. One of whom inspired me to write this, the other demanded that I post. I'll let them firgure out which is which. (they know who they are :P)

CHAPTER 21

Akiko slept through the rest of the day and night. The next day, she woke up around noon. Hatori wasn't there. She wandered into the kitchen and found a steaming cup of tea. Hatori had also left a little note that said he'd be back around four. Akiko glared at the note, tears welling up in her eyes. She picked up the cup of tea and drained it, and then went back to her bedroom. Then, picking up a little notebook, she started to doodle. She began drawing a cute seahorse, and labeled it 'Hatori' then she started on the rest of the junishi.

Hatori got home from checking on Yuki and went to his office. Momiji was spending the week at Hiro's house. He wandered around the room, pulling folders and charts off of the shelves and wondering why he felt so lighthearted. He almost felt the way he had when Kana was around, like…he was in love. But that was ridiculous. He couldn't be in love. Who was possibly close enough to him that he could love them? The only person who had been close to him for the past little while was-

Hatori shook his head wildly and went back to working.

A little while later, Akiko stormed into the office and dropped into a chair, glaring at Hatori. She was wearing the usual crimson kimono, almost fully done up.

"Hello, Akiko." Said Hatori blandly, as usual

"I hate you. " She replied, looking up at his face spitefully. Surprisingly, he felt hurt.

"Why?" He asked, turning to look at her.

She glared defiantly at him. He patiently returned the gaze, although his mind was roiling inside. He felt, amazingly, upset.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked again. She didn't answer, but he saw tears in her eyes.

"Is this about Kana?" he asked.

"I hate you for making me love you, damn it!" She burst out. Hatori froze.

"Me? You love _me?_"

"Who else is in the room?"

"Well, you might have been talking about Momiji." He said. He could have hit himself for saying something so stupid. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth...

She simply glared at him with something akin to disbelief.

Hatori just shook his head, dumbfounded. A tear trickled down Akiko's cheek.

"Why? Why did it have to be you, YOU of all people? The one person whose life I pretty much totaled. You hate me. WHY?"

Hatori opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to say anything.

"I've been kissed more in the past three weeks than in my entire goddamn life! Why is it always so stupid?"

Hatori tried to say something again, but was cut off.

"I hurt your eye, I ruined your marriage, or engagement or whatever the hell it was! I told you to wipe her memories. I hurt her, too. I'm sorry now, but that won't change anything, and..just…Arhhg!" She collapsed back into the chair and sobbed. Hatori moved closer to her and lifted her chin. She stopped sobbing and looked up at him desolately, thinking there was no chance in hell-or heaven, for that matter-for her. Hatori brushed away her tears with his other hand. He didn't say anything, but the expression on his face was clear enough.

Her expression became so hopeful he was almost blinded. Hatori stepped back and she stood up. He pulled her into a tight hug, looked down at her for a second before closing his eyes and giving her a long, passionate kiss. Akiko felt as though she would float away with happiness. It was the first time in her life she could ever recall feeling this happy.

Hatori suddenly pulled his face away from hers, and frowned with a puzzled expression on his face. She gazed back at him, confused and slightly hurt.

"Wait a second," he said. "Why aren't I transforming?"

Akiko's mouth opened in a little O of surprise. She hadn't thought of that. Hatori grabbed the collar of Akiko's kimono and yanked it open almost to waist level. Akiko glanced down at herself in surprise.

"I'm a guy again? Since when?" She-He looked up at Hatori. "Shit. Why now?" Hatori stared at him for a second. Akito stared back. Then Hatori pulled him into another kiss.

Akito was sitting in the bath, glad to be male again. The thick covering of bubbles on the water was sweet smelling, and helped him to relax. Then the door opened.

"Hey, Akiko." Said Rin, walking into the bathroom. Kagura was close behind her. "Mind if we join you?"

Without waiting for an answer, they slipped off their clothes and stepped into the bath.

Rin sighed. "Ah, perfect. This is so relaxing. I just had a huge fight with my parents, they're still trying to get me to wear 'proper' clothes. Do you believe this?" Kagura nodded sympathetically.

Akito sat stunned for a minute. Then he spoke up. "Pardon me, but I, uh, think that you're in the wrong bath."

Kagura and Rin both looked at him. "What do you mean, Akiko?"

"Aki_to_," He corrected. Rin reached over and cleared away the bubbles in front of his chest. It was definitely a male one.

"Crap." Said Rin, sitting back and sinking down into the bubbles.

"We're, uh, so sorry to have, um, disturbed your bath, Akito-san," Kagura stammered.

"Where's Akiko, then?" interrupted Rin.

"She went back to the convent." Replied Akito evenly.

"Uh, we'll just leave now, then.." Kagura said, blushing furiously.

"Where's my towel?" asked Rin, sitting up slightly.

"Oh no! I knew I forgot something!" wailed Kagura, sinking into the bubbles. Akito buried his face in his soapy hands.

"This isn't really happening, this isn't really happening…" He took a deep breath. "Leave. I'm not looking."

The two girls scampered out of the bath and bolted for their clothes. Akito was alone again.

"Thank God," He breathed, relaxing.

A crashing noise was heard from the hallway. Hatori's voice was heard, and then a –

PYON!

A wriggling seahorse fell through the doorway. "Well. Hatori," said Akito, reaching out of the bath and picking him up.

PYON!

Akito dropped the seahorse into the tub and it surfaced as Hatori. "Sorry, Akito." He said.

THE END

There WILL be an epilouge, and possibly more than one! I hope you guys enjoyed this, and enjoy the next few bits as well. Thanks so much for all the great reviews (even if 10.7 of them were informing me that Akito really is a girl :P)!

Until next time, farewell! Hugs for all!

Lady Literature


	22. Epilogue

A total 10 people have reviewed to inform me that Akito is, in fact, a girl. These people are blind. -.- I know this spoiler, and say so in the summary. -.- If these people didn't actually give any indication that they READ my story, they do not get thanked. NYAH :P

Also…why don't people seem to understand AU fics?

I would love to personally thank all reviewers…but individual messages would take forever. I will answer some general questions afterward.

SO, much thanks to: Ixilight, ShuichiShindouAuthor, Daxter2424, Lusiki-Thantos, Kurai (Thanks for the explanation of the summary btw), WolfBane2, The Water Sprite, liddyICOP, Sophie-Chan, CandyAssCutie, Nilfhiem, niichan626, Kamui Gaia 07, the-power-of-love, silveryuki06, Freaky Krazer, Kitsune Vampire Girl, Animal 25, Dazzel 1, haruko sohma, MoonRoseCG, kouseki yume, Dianna, LadyRinUchiha, Shadowphantomness, 2h'sgurl, Little Owl082, AthrunZallaLover, Kikyo Higurashi, Lusiki (are you the same person as Lusiki-Thantos?), AthranZalaYume, American-born-confused-desi, Tocji Kitsune Moga, Casi, Chibi Bishi, Nightblue, flute4ever330, and iwannasleep.

Sorry to anyone if I got your name wrong . 

As for how it started…my friend and I were wondering how Akito looked in a French maid's uniform while walking to school one day…and thus, Akiko was born. Now, as to why we were thinking of Akito in a French maid's outfit…that is a question best left unanswered.

I will say, that was before we found out Akito was a girl. In fact, it was before that manga even came out…

Also, the yen question; I was indeed mistaken. 400 yen is actually $4 US, not Canadian, meaning it's be about $5.20 Canadian… not that it actually matters much. Basically, it's a cute and fairly cheap trinket :P

And I think that wraps pretty much everything up, so…on to the epilogues! (Aside from the first one…they're all little drabbles that just sort of...happen.)

Epilogue #1

Akito stretched in his bubble bath. "Mmm, this feels nice. I'll almost miss being a girl, not being able to buy this stuff with a straight face any more."

Hatori glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "How much of the stuff did you buy?" He asked

"Well, if I take a bath every night, enough to last about three years."

"Dear lord, where are you keeping it all?" Hatori asked, this time looking directly at him.

Akito pointed at the towel cupboard. Hatori climbed out of the bath, covered in bubbles so completely you couldn't see a thing, and opened it. He was buried under an avalanche of different types of bubble bath. They stopped hitting him after about a minute and a half. Luckily, only the top half of his body was buried. Akito picked up a bottle that had fallen near to the tub.

"Strawberry. Reminds me of that ice cream." He looked up. "Strawberry is very good."

"Murmph" replied Hatori, still buried. A few minutes later, he managed to unearth himself. Akito motioned him back into the tub. In doing so, he slipped and fell under the water.

"Akita! I mean, Akito!" Hatori yelled, and jumped into the tub. After a few minutes of blindly tunneling through the scented mountain of bubbles to the surface, Hatori burst out, gasping for air and hauling Akito along. Akito turned his head and spat out a mouthful of bubbles.

"They may smell like oranges, but they sure don't taste like them" Akito spat again.

Hatori suddenly became aware of what he was doing. He was holding Akito, in the bath, NO CLOTHES. Hatori's brain promptly abandoned him, leaving him frozen.

"Not again," Said Akito insincerely, wrapping his arms around Hatori's neck and settling down to wait.

Epilogue #2

Ayame was sketching the design for a dress for Kagura. He was sitting in the room with Hatori, Shigure, and Akito, all of whom were reading. He was checking his measurements when he realized he was missing her bust size. "What's Kagura's bra size?" He muttered.

"26B," came the reply. Ayame looked up in amazement to find Hatori and Shigure staring at Akito, who hadn't even looked up from his book.

"How do you know Kagura's bra size?" asked Shigure, sounding disbelieving, and slightly impressed. Hatori gave him a look.

"She told me." Akito replied, still engrossed in his book. Ayame, Shigure and Hatori exchanged glances, Hatori barely suppressing a smirk. They decided to take his word for it.

Epilogue #3

Akito eased himself into the hot spring slowly. He tossed his hair and settled into place. Ayame was already there, and Shigure and Hatori would be joining them momentarily. Ayame suddenly leaned forward and stared intently at Akito's collarbone.

"Are you wearing a diamond necklace?" He demanded in disbelief.

"Yes," replied Akito, exchanging a secretive smile with Hatori or Shigure, Ayame wasn't sure which. Akito toyed with the necklace. "It was a birthday present."

"Happy Birthday?" said Ayame.

Akito laughed slightly. "You're about seven months late."

"You've been wearing that diamond necklace for seven months and no one has noticed!" exclaimed Shigure. He and Hatori settled into the water, on either side of Akito.

"How much did that thing cost, Ha-san?" Ayame asked. Hatori jumped slightly.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked. Akito raised his eyebrows, leaning his head on Hatori's shoulder.

Ayame and Shigure both raised their eyebrows at Hatori. "As if it wasn't obvious? You don't give that kind of thing to a guy, and it wasn't me." said Ayame, referring to the 'Akiko' incident.

"Could have been Shigure." Hatori muttered.

"But it wasn't." Shigure put in. "So, how long have you two been dating?"

"That-" began Hatori.

"Is none of your business." Akito finished. They exchanged a smirk.

AND SO ENDS THE INSANITY THAT IS AKIKO!


End file.
